Taipei is a vibrant city of around 3 million people. Traffic congestion and pollution can be a problem downtown but both the primary and secondary sites of TES are located towards the northern edge of the city where it is less busy and less polluted. Although at first it seems to be a very alien culture and there may be obvious language barriers, foreigners seem to adjust quickly to their new way of life in Taipei.

The people of Taiwan are extremely friendly and, as a city, Taipei is a relatively safe place in which to live where teenagers enjoy living as they can have quite a lot of independence. You can use the MRT (high speed rail), buses and taxis confidently. English is more widely spoken amongst the younger proportion of the population but if you are looking lost, most people will try to help you! Learning a few words of Chinese goes down very well with the locals.

There is a lot going on in Taipei and most parents and staff lead an active social life either in the northern suburb of Tienmu or downtown where there are many nightclubs, concert halls, theatres and restaurants. There are plenty of movie theatres with the latest movies in English, McDonald's, Chilli's and TGI Fridays restaurants.

There are also a large variety of eating choices in Taipe. Food off street vendors is generally safe to eat (and very popular with teenagers) and there are Western-style restaurants as well as Asian restaurants to choose from. There are plenty of fast food outlets as well as more up-market places.

Taipei is an expensive city to live in. Leading a ¡§western¡¨ life style is rather more expensive than Europe. Western food and products are freely available in restaurants and supermarkets, but trying more local items will prove a lot cheaper.

Many of the expatriate families and the school staff elect to travel widely within South East Asia during their holidays as many attractive tourist locations such as Thailand , Vietnam , and Malaysia etc. are within a few hours flight of Taipei .

(Click here to read quotes from members of the TES community about life in Taipei)

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Shopping
Shopping is interesting- especially for the young and adventurous! You can buy the latest fashions at cheap prices at the markets- but women have to be a size 10-12 or less.Men find it much easier to find clothes! The fashion houses and department stores have larger sizes and prices.

The "export" shops in Tienmu have larger sizes and great bargains for designer seconds or discontinued styles- but you need to be prepared to rummage!! There are sometimes some amazing finds there.

'Name' brands and high fashion are also readily available with famous name-brand stores around many shopping outlets, including the famous ¡¥ Taipei 101'. Taipei 101 also has an excellent English book shop ¡V Page One ¡V with a huge range of English books for all ages. There is also another large book shop at Eslite in the Xinyi central business shopping area.

Groceries
You can buy just about anything you want in Jason's, Carrefour, Cosco, and (increasingly) in Wellcome Supermarkets, although you do pay quite a lot extra at times for imported items.

Medical
Most doctors in Taipei speak reasonable English and the family practices are conveniently located around Taipei . The hospitals are also welcoming to foreigners and often have volunteers speaking English to guide you around the hospital. A large number of the staff also speak English and are veryconsiderate of foreigners who cannot read the signs. Many teachers choose to have their babies in Taipei.

Museums
Taipei has the world famous museum, the National Palace Museum , which has world's biggest collection of Chinese artifacts. Although the museum is vast and can display 15,000 items each 3 months, it would take 12 years to display all the items. Alternatively, you can also visit the much smaller Taipei Fine Art Museum which regularly hosts displays from foreign and local artists. There are many other museums. The Science, Transport and National History Museum are also favorites for foreigners.

Temples
Temples in Taiwan are fascinating and culturally valuable. You can easily see a great selection and variety of temples in Taipei with ornate features and bright yellow colours. Lungshan Temple and Hsingtien Temple are two very notable and frequently visited temples in Taipei which serve as centers for local activities as well as worship for local residents.


Festivals
Taiwanese people celebrate a variety of festivals during the year. Some of them are quite interesting and fascinating for foreigners. Chinese New Year, Lantern Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Ghost Month and Moon Festival are the major ones which attract many foreign visitors and local residents.

Please check the website about Taipei: http://english.taipei.gov.tw/TCG/