Interesting Tidbit
Last weekend my Taiwanese friend, Ann, and I were going for a tea with Pao Pao in tow. She wanted to walk Pao Pao so I told her that I walk with Pao Pao on the left, as you should be walking on the left facing traffic. Common knowledge, right...Always walk facing the traffic so you can see them coming, make eye contact all that stuff...Yeah, not in Taiwan. I can't believe how much my understanding of "common knowledge" has been rocked. It really is just a cultural construct.
After walking for a few minutes Ann tried to explain to me that in Taiwan you are not taught to walk on the left facing traffic, but on the right with you back to it. Although her English is impeccable, she had trouble explaining it to me. At first she kept saying that they will see you better.(??) Finally she managed to explain that if you have your back to the traffic they will know that you can't see them, and they will avoid you. If you walk facing the traffic, they will assume that you can see them, and you will get out of the way, so they make no attempts to avoid you.
hmmm....Well, given what I know know about traffic in Taiwan it makes sense. When you get to a four way stop there is no right of way. If you slow down, the other cars will go, and keep going until you are in there way. If you make eye contact with someone (at home what you do to make sure that they see you, so you can proceed) then they know that you have see them and will go. There is a sense of just do what you are going to do, and hope people will get out of your way. On a daily basis you can see someone pulling a U-turn in the middle of a very busy 4 lane road. If you just go slow enough to give people time to stop then it is all ok! It is very frustrating, and I spend a lot of time with my thumb on the horn, but I try to keep in mind that it although it is chaos, it is organized chaos. When you keep in mind the assumptions that everyone else is under, rather than the ones that apply at home, you relieve yourself of A LOT of stress and headache!!
Very Zen-like thoughts in the comfort of my own home ...I will be sure to remind myself of these thoughts as I shake my fist and shout profanities at someone for putting my life in peril!
After walking for a few minutes Ann tried to explain to me that in Taiwan you are not taught to walk on the left facing traffic, but on the right with you back to it. Although her English is impeccable, she had trouble explaining it to me. At first she kept saying that they will see you better.(??) Finally she managed to explain that if you have your back to the traffic they will know that you can't see them, and they will avoid you. If you walk facing the traffic, they will assume that you can see them, and you will get out of the way, so they make no attempts to avoid you.
hmmm....Well, given what I know know about traffic in Taiwan it makes sense. When you get to a four way stop there is no right of way. If you slow down, the other cars will go, and keep going until you are in there way. If you make eye contact with someone (at home what you do to make sure that they see you, so you can proceed) then they know that you have see them and will go. There is a sense of just do what you are going to do, and hope people will get out of your way. On a daily basis you can see someone pulling a U-turn in the middle of a very busy 4 lane road. If you just go slow enough to give people time to stop then it is all ok! It is very frustrating, and I spend a lot of time with my thumb on the horn, but I try to keep in mind that it although it is chaos, it is organized chaos. When you keep in mind the assumptions that everyone else is under, rather than the ones that apply at home, you relieve yourself of A LOT of stress and headache!!
Very Zen-like thoughts in the comfort of my own home ...I will be sure to remind myself of these thoughts as I shake my fist and shout profanities at someone for putting my life in peril!
posted by Ang @ 4:59 p.m.
1 comments
1 Comments:
At 11:45 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
i've never thought why i walked the way not facing to the traffic. it's just that we were taught to follow the way it is in taiwan. never realized that it is so complicated...hehe...i'm the lazy, not thinking much taiwanese...
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