expat family connection
Expat Life

Moving abroad with children!

Four years ago, we decided to say goodbye to our busy life in Belgium, leave for Taiwan, and become an expat family. We had quite a good life but longed for more financial freedom to travel and show the children more of the world. Moving abroad was our chance to make a dream come true. An assignment for the company where Bert is working made this possible.  We hope with these tips to make the step to live abroad a little easier for you and to experience this incredible adventure as a family soon. Busy Family When I look back on our life in Belgium, it was mainly a feeling of being lived. School, work, and all the children’s hobbies took up many evenings and weekends. There wasn’t much time to really do things together and if we wanted it to be planned well in advance. This busy family life is probably also why people have difficulty taking teenagers out of everyday life and moving abroad. Family bonding We did it, we moved abroad with our children, and I can tell you it has been the best decision of our lives. Not the easiest of challenges, but all four of us now look back on a great adventure and have a whole new perspective on life and the world. And what I’m most grateful for is the connection we have with our teens. I can call the family bond that we created during these four years abroad unique. Expat Life is an Adventure With these tips and the experiences that we share on this website, I hope to help you take this step and have a lovely adventure as an expat family. It is all possible, even if the children are not very young anymore. You will be amazed at what you can achieve as a family by stepping out of your comfort zone and following your dream. Sharing emotions Before sharing all our tips, there is one more thing I want to say.   Communication is the keyword in moving abroad with kids. Of all ages, teens will undoubtedly be the most challenging group to move overseas with. Both for the parents and the child, but it is perfectly possible. As a parent, you are the one the children should be able to count on in the first months after the move. And you will experience that this will work mutually. Sharing all of your experiences and thoughts, both positive and negative, will create a close bond between you and your child that’s so special.   There will be challenging days but also days that you will experience that feeling of freedom. Living in another country and experiencing different cultures is something I wish for everyone. It really is life-changing. Tips for moving abroad with children! Tips to follow before relocating overseas: Get your kids involved right from the start. I believe this is the most important advice I can give you. Lotte and Pepijn were 12 and 10 when we moved. When we told them we would most likely move to Taiwan, Lotte was very enthusiastic, and Pepijn immediately said he did not want to go. He couldn’t miss his grandparents and his friends. By the time we left for Taiwan, it was precisely the opposite. Lotte didn’t like it anymore, and Pepijn was very enthusiastic. These changing emotions are part of moving abroad and will undoubtedly be something that you will also experience. Try to be honest and open and accept these fluctuating emotions. Just be there for them. Ask them regularly about their feelings. I always tried this when I was alone with them. The rides back in the car from school or the sports clubs were a perfect moment to start these conversations. The day trips were also when I had the best conversations with them and when they were willing to talk about their feelings. Let them talk, you listen. Let them know that you cannot feel what they are feeling but that you understand that what they are going through is hard. It’s a new experience for the whole family and it makes sense that you won’t be able to answer many of their questions because it’s going to be new for all of you too. Let your child walk around in their new country via Google Earth. These virtual tours are a lovely way to get an idea of the new country. Often your child will go to an international school close to where you will live, but if you do have a choice in schools, it might be an idea to involve them in making a decision. Check out the school’s website. Often, many photos or videos give them an idea of where they will spend a lot of time. Make a notebook in which you compile lists of all great places to visit in your new country. Think of amusement parks, national parks, unique buildings, beaches, etc. Have them look it all up themselves on the internet. For children who like to write, it might be an idea to keep a diary. I know that there are also books available to keep track of their move through fill-in pages. These books are a lovely memory for later. Check out this website www.meandmybigmove.com for an excellent workbook in different languages. Organize a farewell party for friends and family and don’t forget the friends from their class and the sports clubs. Saying goodbye is something that comes with expat life. It may not always be easy, but it is also part of this life. Tips to follow after relocating overseas: Let your child decorate their new bedroom. They can find great ideas on Pinterest. Then look together what is and isn’t possible concerning the rules of the landlord. But you can often come a long way to create your child’s unique place.  Technology will keep it more accessible to stay close to friends. There are video calls, chats, social media, and

View Baihe District Taiwan
Taiwan

Hot Springs in Taiwan

Hot springs are very popular in Taiwan. Especially during the winter months, Taiwanese people visit the various hot springs and resorts. So this was something that was definitely on our list to do during our time in Taiwan. But how exactly does this work? Are there things we should and shouldn’t do? I must admit that I have never visited a Spa in the Netherlands. Only those in the holiday parks, but that is self-explanatory. Visiting the Hot Springs in Taiwan was exciting, and the fact that we already know more about Taiwan culture has helped enormously. I’m glad I can share our experiences with you so that your visit doesn’t have to be a little less exciting.   Hot Springs in Taiwan Taiwan is located on the fault line where the Euro-Asian and Philippine continental plates meet. It lies between an oceanic trench and a volcanic system. This creates a unique environment that produces high-temperature hot springs. Around these slightly acidic waters are spas and resorts that are must-visit sites. Taiwan has more than 100 major hot springs and many smaller ones. This is one of the highest concentrations and greatest variety of hot springs in the world.  Some types of hot springs are: Hot springs Cold springs Mud springs Seabed Hot springs Things to know before your visit! Visiting with kids | If you are traveling with children like us, you should remember that not all hot springs allow children. So always inform in advance. Signs | I know that there are Hot springs that have signs to help you guide through the different steps. Differences in Bathhouses Public or Private | Public bathhouses offer communal bathing where you will share the different baths with other people, while the Private hot springs are just for you. Some bathhouses will offer private rooms, but you can also find some hotels where you can book an entire room with a hot spring included. Mixed areas or Men and Women separately | Most bathhouses have mixed areas and areas for men and women separately. The mixed area is where all genders bathe together and where you wear a bathing suit. The entirely separate areas allow for nude bathing. These areas are usually clearly indicated by gender-marked signs and have lockers and shower facilities. What to do and not to do The process of what to do will be much the same in all hot springs in Taiwan. The most important thing is to enter the hot springs completely clean so that the spring water remains as clean as possible. So avoid applying any product to your skin or hair before visiting the hot spring. These products can leave a residue in the water. Change your cloth for a swimming suit and put everything in a locker except your water bottle and towel. Shower and clean yourself thoroughly before entering the hot spring area. In the hot spring, we went, we could wear slippers between the different pools but check how this works in the hot spring you visit. Most of the time, it’s polite to wear them at outdoor public hot springs. Clean your feet before you climb into the pool. There is a bucket by the water edge that you can use to rinse your feet and underlegs. Never sit on the edge of the pool with your feet too close to someone’s face. They don’t appreciate that in Asia. In most hot springs, you have to wear a swimming cap. If this is not the case and you have long hair make sure the hair is tied up neatly and kept off your face and neck. If you use the spaces for sitting and relaxing, try to use your towel for sitting on or rinsing the surface when you get up. Usually, the bathes in a hot spring are from different temperatures. Start with the lower temperatures and slowly get into the water to get used to the temperature. Don’t spend too long in hot water. The hot spring experience consists of short baths in hot pools alternating with cold pools or showers and long recovery periods outside the water. Drink plenty of water. Quiet conversation is perfectly acceptable in the hot springs but tell your kids that it is not allowed to be rowdy and to run around.  If you travel with younger kids and want to visit a hot spring, it’s maybe a good idea to search for Hotels with outdoor family areas. There are plenty to choose from at Booking.com. Also, the one I describe below is a family-friendly hotel with an outdoor swimming pool.    Mud Spring We visited the Mud springs in the south part of Taiwan and will share our experiences with you. Guanziling Hot Spring is situated in the mountains at the border of Chiayi and Tainan in Baihe District. The Guanziling Hot Springs are located in mudrock formations created by an earthquake. This hot spring water is dark grey, and it’s also called ‘mud hot spring’ or ‘black hot spring,’ but they contain tiny pieces of rock, not mud. It is said that the sulfuric properties have healing qualities for several skin irregularities, nervous and joint problems, or discomforts. Our experience is that it leaves the skin feeling soft and smooth.  The village of Guanziling is divided into a lower (the older part) and an upper section. In this lower part at the Baoquan Bridge, you can see one of the two mud spring sources for the Guanziling Hot Springs. Natural gas from underground bubbles up through a pool of water and ignites spontaneously on the surface. Most of the hotels you will find in the upper part of the village.  Guanziling has one of the three largest natural mud hot springs in the World. Moreover, it’s the only hot spring in Taiwan sourced from an age-old natural spring rich in minerals.    Kings Garden Villa – the perfect place to stay! We stayed three nights at a beautiful resort

Fort Zeelandia Anping Old Fort Tainan
Taiwan

Fort Zeelandia Tainan

Taiwan has a rich history that takes us more than 100,000 years back in time. Its geographical location has had a significant influence on history as we know it today. Taiwan is an island that was very easy to reach for traders from the sea. The nearby countries of China and Japan have also had a great influence on Taiwan’s history. But as you may know, we are Dutch, and the Dutch are also part of Taiwan’s history. We wanted to learn more from this history and visited Fort Zeelandia in Tainan that remembers that period and is definitely worth visiting if you are in Taiwan. Tainan In the southwest of Taiwan is the pleasant town of Tainan. This is the oldest city and was the capital of Taiwan for 200 years, resulting in more than a thousand temples and other places of interest. As a result, the city also has much valuable cultural heritage. It is clear that the Dutch left their mark on the city in the 17th century, unfortunately not always positively. And you will also be reminded of that by the older people in Taiwan if you say that you come from Hélán (the Netherlands).   Anping Tainan is the oldest city in Taiwan and was established in 1624 by the Dutch. They came ashore to set up a trading post and built Fort Zeelandia. When they got ousted by Ming Admiral Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong), the fort is called ‘Anping.’ After he died in 1684, the kingdom was incorporated into the Qing Empire as part of Fujian Province. Tainan was the country’s capital from 1683 to 1885, after which Taipei became the capital. The VOC in Tainan In 1624, the Dutchmen of the Dutch East India Company (Verenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie – VOC) arrived in Tainan and stayed there for almost 40 years. Fort Proventia got built next to Fort Zeelandia, and they used the settlement extensively to trade with China and Japan. At one point, tensions ran high between the Dutch and the Chinese residents of Taiwan. Among other things, the Dutch levied high taxes, and their name was associated with various looting. However, in 1662 the Ming admiral Koxinga came to the city, expelled the Dutch, and then established his own government. Old Dutch Forts You can visit the two fortresses that got built when the Dutch held sway in the city. In the center of Tainan stands the Chihkan Tower, which they built in 1653 under the name Fort Proventia. It is a small complex of buildings and towers that resemble traditional Chinese temples and surrounded by a traditional Chinese garden. A few kilometers from here, you will find Fort Zeelandia, which served as an economic and military base with its cannons. Fort Zeelandia or Anping Old Fort They built this fort in 3 layers. The bottom layer was an underground storage facility over 3 meters deep. It was built from bricks laid with a mixture of sugar syrup and oyster shell lime, refined craftsmanship in those days. There are two layers above ground. Inside the fort, you will find more information about the function of Fort Zeelandia / Fort Anping in the VOC period, the Qing Empire period, and the Japanese Rule Period through a timeline and photos. There is also a gift shop for souvenirs. Outside you can walk around the fort, where you will see the cannons. It’s a great place full of greenery, and you can climb the tower for a nice view over the area around Fort Zeelandia. Other historical heritage in Tainan If you like to visit more like this, the following places may be interesting. Temples – There are many temples in the city of which the Confucius Temple is the highest standing. This is considered by many to be the most beautiful historic building in all of Taiwan.  Koxinga Museum – There is a museum dedicated to Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong), the Chinese who expelled the Dutch and is now a national hero in Taiwan. I have never visited this museum myself, so I don’t know if the information is available in English. Former Tait & Co. Merchant House – This building was founded by the British in 1867. It is now a museum that shows through a permanent exhibition how the Chinese, Dutch, and indigenous peoples lived at that time. Anping Treehouse – Just next to and behind the Tait & Company building is the Anping Treehouse. This is actually the old warehouse building for Tait & Company. After years of neglect, some banyan trees have claimed this building for themselves. The Anping Treehouse is a great place for photography. Instagram Facebook Pinterest

Family picture
Expat Life

How we sold everything and became expats

Bert had traveled to Taiwan for several years before we started this journey. He fell in love with Asia and came home after every trip with lovely stories and pictures. So our curiosity about Taiwan and being an expat grows. At the end of 2016, Bert came home from work with a proposal to go to Taiwan for two years. We finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and go for it. If we didn’t like it, we’d be back in no time. So we left everything behind and followed his leads to the other side of the world to start our expat life. Belgium In 2008 we immigrated as a Dutch family to Belgium. We bought a lovely house, and the children went to school. We had a wonderful life with family close by and lots of friends. Bert always had this wish to work and raise the kids in another country. I always listened to his dreams and ideas but dismissed them. We had a house, our parents and family and friends. No reason to leave all this behind for a life abroad. Bert himself has always traveled for work. This wasn’t always easy with little kids. So many of the responsibilities ended up on my shoulders. This changed luckily after a few years in a new position within the company where he did not have to travel as much. We both knew that being together as a family was important to grow closer to each other again and give our relationship new vibes. We had grown apart in recent years, but giving up was definitely not an option for us. The essential thing in life is our family. The big decision With this need in mind, Bert’s wish to work abroad, and the proposals he received at work, I decided to sort things out myself. What would this mean for us as a family? What benefits would this bring to the future of our children? And how great would this be for Bert’s future? I myself had been looking for a nice job for years and still hadn’t found it. I actually liked the idea of being at home and taking care of my family.  And that’s where our journey started… We sold our house, told the children about our plans, and informed family and friends. All this did not take us a year. In October 2016, we got the offer. In April 2017, we had the official go for Taiwan, and on August 12, we got on the plane. Towards our new expat life.   Becoming an Expat For the first two weeks, we stayed in a hotel. A container with our furniture was on its way, but it took a while for it to arrive. Until then, we had to rely on a hotel room. Bert started working, and for us, it was mainly a matter of getting through the day. Green Grass Lake We discovered a large lake close to our hotel, great for walking around and experiencing life in Taiwan. The first thing that weighed on us was the weather. So extremely hot and especially the high humidity made us exhausted after an hour of walking. The air conditioning in the hotel room was, therefore, very welcome upon return. We drove to the apartment complex during the weekend, where we would come to live, and discovered that area. The longing to be able to go to our apartment and start our life here was great. During the week, we visited the new school, and we started to discover the city. All the other smells and the fact that every sign is in Chinese make this challenge great. The children were not positive yet that this will work out. They preferred to pack their suitcases and fly back to their ordinary life in Belgium.   Our apartment Once we have the key to our apartment and started unpacking and furnishing our home, everything became a bit better. We discover the restaurants and shops nearby. We walk between the rice fields along the river close to our apartment. We are amazed to see how many people come here to relax at the end of their working day. Children play in the playgrounds, and people jog and walk the paths along the river. And that while it’s already utterly dark at 6:30. We were becoming aware of how life here differs from that back home. We behold it and adsorb it slowly. That’s the best we can do because the culture shock is big. A few days later, there was also the first day of school. Lotte and Pepijn got picked up by Taxi, and Bert leaves for work. So here I am, all alone. Not knowing if my children arrived safely at school. This is going to be one of the longest days of my new expat life.   Groceries shopping The first weeks passed by, the kids to school, Bert to work, and I spent hours shopping. I was just pointing my phone at all pockets and hoping for a decent translation. I never knew that grocery shopping could be such a challenge. I soon found out that I should not start making dishes from the internet or the cookbooks, but that it is better to buy ingredients that seem familiar to me and prepare something tasty with them. Fortunately, this is a lot easier nowadays.   Exploring Taiwan We started discovering the surroundings of Hsinchu, and we visited Taipei. We learned a lot from Taiwanese culture, and life was getting easier. The kids were doing very well at school. Both were making giant leaps with their English, so that helped a lot for their self-confidence. Of course, there were still tricky days and doubts sometimes, but they also enjoyed their new friends, and the first parties and play dates were there. Lotte had even gone shopping with friends in the large shopping mall in Hsinchu. So nice to live in a country

National Palace Museum Taipei
Taiwan

National Palace Museum Taipei

When you come to Taipei, you may visit Taipei 101 and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. But there is another great place to add to your list of places to visit in this city. The National Palace Museum is one of the world’s largest and finest Chinese artifacts museums, which is also one of the must-see attractions in Taipei. I will provide you with more information about this Museum and how to get there. This museum is further away from the city, so it takes a little more effort to easily travel there. But because we’ve all figured this out before, I’d like to share our information. National Palace Museum This museum has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese imperial artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest of its type in the world. It covers all areas of Chinese art, including antiquities, painting, calligraphy, bronzes, jade, ceramics, and sculpture. However, because display space is limited in the National Palace Museum, only about 1,700 pieces are on display at a time. Most of the artifacts came from the Forbidden City in Beijing and were brought to Taiwan in 1948 with the Republic of China government during the civil war. This first shipment included nearly 250,000 artifacts and rare books. It was not until 1965 that the valuable collection was housed in the current National Palace Museum. Among all the precious treasures, there are some signatures in the museum that you should not miss, such as Jadeite Cabbage, Meat-Shaped Stone, Bell of Zhou…and so on. From which you are going to realize how ancient Chinese reflected their rich culture, philosophy, and customs through the artworks. The museum also has several souvenir shops. The National Palace Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the histories of 5,000 years of Chinese culture. If you want to learn more about history and culture, don’t miss this museum. The National Palace Museum is small enough to visit in 3 or 4 hours. You can also rent an audio device to listen to tour narration in English and other languages. The audio device requires a rental fee of TWD100 each time. There is also a possibility to visit the museum with an English guide. Check the website to check the time when the guided tour starts. Opening hours and current exhibitions. The museum is closed on Mondays. Tuesday to Sunday they are open from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Because of the current Covid situation, it’s best to check the more accurate information about opening days and hours. On the website, you will also find all information about current exhibitions. How do you get to the National Palace Museum? It’s not the most accessible place to visit because it’s a little bit out of the city. But traveling in Taipei is easy, so don’t let this be a reason to skip this place. The cheapest way you can get to the museum is to use the metro and public bus. This is also an easy way to travel. Make sure you have an EasyCard, and you can easily travel with the MRT and the busses in Taiwan. You can buy the EasyCard at convenience stores with the EasyCard mark on the doors (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, OK Mart, and I-MEI Foods) throughout Taiwan. Take the MRT Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line) to Shilin Station [R16] Exit No.1 (north exit). Walk north for another 100 meters until you hit Zhongzhen Road, which is the first major road you’ll encounter. As soon as you hit Zhongzhen road, the bus stop is on your right-hand side. Do not cross the road. You can take buses R30, 815, 304, 300, 255, M1, S19, or S18 to the National Palace Museum. Other places to visit in this area. Zishan Garden A great place to combine with your museum visit is Zhishan Garden, near the National Palace Museum. This garden has an admission fee of NT 20 ($0.7, € 0.60)  but is free to enter with your museum ticket. You can walk around and immerse yourself in the traditional Chinese-style garden. Shilin Night market Another great place to visit when you travel back by bus to Shilin MRT station is the Shilin Night market. This is Taipei’s largest night market and also one of the most popular in Taiwan. Come here to enjoy a wide range of local Taiwanese street food. This market starts at 16:00 hours.

Utimate guide about expat life
Expat Life

The ultimate guide about expat life

What is expat life about? What are the obstacles that I will encounter? How do I find new friends? Can I get used to the new culture? These are all questions that are part of life as an expat. All things that I wondered about when we moved abroad in 2017. With very small steps and many challenges on our way, we have become accustomed to life as expats. It is not an easy road that you travel but we have really come to love this life. It has changed our lives enormously but also ourselves. We are not the same person anymore as when we left.   You can only grow by stepping outside your comfort and that is certainly what we have done. I would love to help you with your adventure abroad by sharing our experiences. Only by sharing this, we can help you. You’ll still have to do it yourself, but these tips will certainly help you during your adventure. It will be a wonderful journey for sure, so try to enjoy it. Family bonding I can tell you that moving abroad isn’t easy and comes with lots of difficult challenges, but it is the most wonderful adventure we ever had in life. Along our journey, we experienced different emotions like missing family, loneliness, and anxiety. We had to deal with a totally different culture and had to learn a new language.   When this all comes together you will experience a pretty tough challenge in your life. When you do this as a family you also have it times 4 or 5 depends on how big your family is. A possitive thing is that you are all in this together.   By talking and sharing your thoughts and feelings you can help each other. You will experience that this will result in a warm and special family bond. Especially during the first months in another country you will be together and do things together as a family so often.   The fact that we could only talk to each other in our own language made that we shared everything with each other and that we grew so close without really noticing it. Stepping out of your comfort zone We were lucky to be able to explore a new country and to learn from another culture. Expat life is so much more than just moving to another country for work for a few years.   It is about stepping out of your comfort zone and letting you grow as a person. We are discovering who we really are and what we are truly capable of. This all gives us a new vision of life.   Are you still in that phase of doubt and orientation I can only encourage you? I’m not going to say it’s going to be easy, it’s definitely not a long holiday. You will have to be there for your family and a lot will be asked of you, but you get so much in return.   Prepare as best you can by reading a lot and try to find families who live or have lived as expats in the country you are going to. Contact them and ask them everything you want to know. They will be very happy to help you and answer all your questions. After all, they were once in the same situation as you are now.   Take this first step out of your comfort zone, it is such an incredibly beautiful experience that you will only grow through and that counts for your whole family. Expat life is about Loneliness In the first months of our life as expats, we were very busy unpacking and organizing our new home. Discovering the neighborhood in which we lived. We had to get used to the weather, the food, and the differences of this new culture. And as soon as we all found our way, loneliness hit me. I missed family, friends, but especially a conversation with someone who knows and understands you well. Who knows how to comfort you or who can make you happy with a few words just because they have known you for so long.    Accept these feelings of loneliness and connect with people through work, school, or take a cultural class like cooking class, dance class, language class. Be open to new friendships. New friends will certainly be able to take away some of your loneliness. We can tell you from our own experience that everything gets better in time. You will find new friends and it all start to feel like home a little bit more in your home country.  For more tips to fight loneliness, you can also check this blog post. Expat Life is about Family As an expat you start in a new country where you usually don’t know anyone yet. If you end up somewhere with your family, you are mainly dependent on each other. You spend all your free time together. You discover everything together and support each other during challenging moments. The family bond will become very close.    You share so many different emotions with each other. During daily life but also on the trips together to explore your new country. We would definitely advise you to go outside as soon as possible and get to know your new country better. By immersing yourself in the new culture, it will be much easier to adapt to it.   After a few months, social life will slowly return. You meet new people, and the children will have their first parties and dates with friends. This is good, and it should be like this. It is great to be able to experience an adventure like this together as a family. Expat Life is about Exploring Bert had traveled to Taiwan several years for work before we started this expat life. He fell in love with the country and convinced us to move to Taiwan for several

Expat Loneliness
Expat Life

10 easy tips to fight Expat Loneliness

Expat loneliness and missing family are the difficult things in life as an expat. Especially when you just arrived in your new country and don’t know a lot of people. Missing family is something we have to deal with as long as we want to live this expat life. But that feeling of loneliness will get better in time especially when your social life starts to grow. I’m sure these tips will help you to create a group of friends around you.   Expat Loneliness In the first months of our life as expats, we were busy unpacking and organizing our new home. The hubby and the children went to work and school and I did my very best to create a warm home. A place to feel safe and to relax. A place to call home. We went out to discover the neighborhood in which we lived, visited the restaurants, and did our grocery shopping at the supermarkets. The weather, the food, and the different culture were also things that we had to get used to. And as soon as we all found our way, loneliness hit me.   I missed family, friends, but mostly a conversation with someone who knows and understands you well. Who knows how to comfort you or who can make you happy with a few words just because they have known you for so long.   Distance gives us a reason to love harder.    I missed the spontaneous visits to my parents. The tea chat with my friend. Chat with your neighbors in the supermarket during your weekly shopping. The conversations with other mothers along the soccer field. The social chats at the school gate. Those little simple daily things now turn out to be so valuable.   I believe that expat loneliness is one of the things that everyone experiences when moving to another country. Especially if you travel for your husband’s work and you don’t have work yet or if you are not able to work in your new country. Therefore I want to share some useful tips with you so you don’t have to struggle too much in this new life as an expat wife.     10 tips to fight Expat Loneliness The best advice to give you when you experience the same is to accept these feelings of loneliness and try to connect with people. I will provide you with 10 tips to get in touch with people easily so you can go on with enjoying your new life.   1. Connect through work Connect with people through your work or your husband’s work. Most of the time, there are more expat families from the same company. They were all in the same situation ones and usually willing to help you and answer your questions. It is also great to go out together on a lunch date or meet each other at a nice coffee shop. This is also a way to get to know the city better. And how nice if you can take your husband or the whole family to that one restaurant that you already know.   2. Connect through school Pick up your kids from school to meet parents at the school gate. You all have so much in common and conversations are so accessible. Join parent’s meetings and school activities. More often the parent’s from your child’s class are united in a group chat on Line or WhatsApp. Join that group and introduce yourself. This also helps to recognize moms at the school gate. Ask your child’s teacher about these group chats.   When I miss you, I re-read our old messages and smile like an idiot.   3. Start a hobby Take a cultural class like cooking class, dance class, yoga class, language class. Try to find the same activities that you also joined back home. Or that you wanted to join but never found the time to do it. This is your chance to meet people with the same hobbies as you have.   4. Go outside Go to a park for a walk, take your camera if you like to take pictures. Visit a playground if you have kids. These are very social environments. All the kids can play together and you can have a chat with the other parents. You all have little kids so enough to talk about I think. If you don’t have kids great the people you meet in your walks through the neighborhood and you will see how easy it is to start a conversation. And I know this is scary especially when you are an introverted person like I am but it really is the way to meet other people. You will feel so proud once you step out of your comfort zone and meet your new friends.     5. Connect with other expats online Families in global transitions.org is a website where you can connect with other people living a globally mobile life. You can become a member and connect with people online. They also have affiliates in many cities and host an Annual Conference in different locations around the world. Take a look at this website and become a member if you like this. There are also other groups to reach out to on social media. Especially on Facebook, you will find these groups to join. Search also for foreign groups in your new country. You are all in the same situation.   6. Join or visit events If you search on Facebook for these groups in your new country as I told you in tip #5 you will also find more information about events that take place in your area. Especially in the periods around Easter and Christmas, you will find events like markets or places to celebrate together. There are also often groups with photographers who go out for a hike or to visit beautiful spots. These are great opportunities to meet other people.   7. Skype with

Taiwan

Taroko National Park: Tips for visiting as a family.

Taiwan has nine National Parks, and they are all unique in their own way. We visited a few of these parks in the meantime. Most of them are big and have many trails to hike and beautiful places to visit. For some mountainous areas, you need a permit where you have to apply for several days or weeks before you go. So be aware of this if you travel to Taiwan and plan to do some hikes in the National Parks. The park that we love the most is Taroko National Park. This park is a must-visit when you travel to Taiwan, and I’m willing to help you plan your trip by providing you lots of information that especially helps if you travel with kids and with your own/rental car. Click here for more information about all the National Parks in Taiwan.     Taroko National Park Taroko means beautiful, and it definitely can be said about the 9.000 hectares Park. The National Park is all about mountains, shallow rivers, marble, mysterious rock formations, impressive waterfalls, and panoramic views. Taroko Gorge and its surrounding area are well known for their abundant marble supply, leading to its nickname, “The Marble Gorge”. Here you can discover a part of Taiwan’s amazing nature. This National Park is one of the most popular places to visit in Taiwan, so don’t expect to have the place for yourself. You will likely be sharing this place with thousands of others. But don’t let that deter you from visiting. Most organized day trips stick to the same attractions and only stay in the Park for a few hours. So try to plan your trip well, and you will also have places where you’re not overwhelmed by the crowds. I will also advise you to visit this National Park during weekdays, making a big difference. Free information sheet In this blog, I want to give you the information to visit this park with kids and your own/rental car and help you plan your itinerary. There is also information about a hiking trail for the more experienced hiking families, and you will find an A5 information sheet that you can download, print, and take with you on your trip. This sheet will provide you with all the information you need. DOWNLOAD     A little bit of history Four million years ago, the island of Taiwan was formed by the collision of plates. After millions of years of wind erosion, the marble rocks were exposed and cut by the Liwu River, creating impressive grand canyons. This National Park was established in 1937 during the Japanese Reign in Taiwan. After World War II and Japan’s defeat, they have abolished the park as China has conquered Taiwan. They established the park again, and in 1986, Taroko became a National Park. The canyon is 19 km long, and the mountain peaks reach up to 3000 meters.     Essential tips for visiting Taroko National Park as a family! Before telling you more about the most important places to visit, I will give you these helpful tips to consider when planning your visit to the National Park.   Best time to visit Taroko Gorge National Park? The park is open all year-round, but the best time to visit Taroko Gorge is from October to June. From July to September, it’s Typhoon season in Taiwan and the time that most families can visit the country. If you visit Taiwan during this time of year, closely follow the weather predictions. Typhoons will be predicted a few days before they will hit the country. Don’t visit the park directly after a typhoon, or check the national park website to ensure it’s safe to go there.     How many days do you need in Taroko Gorge National Park? I would recommend spending at least one full day exploring the National Park. If you want to do some longer hikes, you would need an extra day to see all Taroko Gorge’s beauty. Both times when we visited the Park, we stayed for two nights.   Not all trails are always open. As your trip approaches, I’d highly recommend checking the national park website to confirm which trails are open. Trails are often closed due to weather, damage of the trail, routine maintenance, or environmental rehabilitation. This list covers the entire Taroko National Park, but the official trails that lie within Taroko Gorge are: Scenic Trails  |  Taroko Terrace, Shakadang, Xiao Zhuilu, Buluowan, Yanzikhou (Swallow Grotto), Lushui, Baiyang, and the Tunnel of Nine Turns. Hiking Trails  |  Dali-Datong, Dekalun, Changchun Shrine (Eternal Spring), and Huoran Pavilion. Mountaineering Trails  |  Zhuilu Old Trail (permit trail) and Lushui-Wenshan Trail.     Permits in Taroko Gorge National Park Taroko National Park is free to enter, but some hikes need a permit, and you have to pay an entry fee. One of these hikes is the Zhuilu Old Trail. If you and your kids are experienced hikers, you can hike the stunning Zhuilu Old Trail. This hike goes through dense forest and scuttling along a narrow cliff from around 500 meters long. This is the most challenging section of the trail. There is no cover at all on the trail as it cuts across the cliff. There is only a metal cable to hold if you pass the narrow cliff. The trail is rugged and prone to rock falls. The permit that you need for this trail you can find here. Applications will open 1-30 days before entry. I suggest applying for this on the first day within your 30 days period. There is a daily quota of 96 hikers on weekdays and 156 people on holidays and weekends. On this website, you will also find all the hike regulations and an advanced applications window, for foreigners only, that opens 4 months to 35 days before the intended entry date. Check out the website to read more about this. Group tours and private tours You can also book a hiking tour with

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