Newcomers to Taiwan will quickly realize they face a steep learning curve that they must deal with. I went through this learning curve when I lived in Taipei for about six months. A learning curve is a process where people learn from their mistakes. A steep learning curve means they must learn very quickly. Taiwan is a developed place with excellent health care, transport, internet, restaurants, night markets, and parks. It is a comfortable and affordable place to live. But I still experienced culture shock when I went to Taipei for an extended stay in October 2022.

Culture shock is a feeling of confusion and uncertainty by suddenly being in an unfamiliar place where things are done differently from what you are used to. My culture shock was seeing hundreds of noisy scooters driven by reckless drivers. Reckless drivers are people who drive dangerously. Taipei's roads are full of speeding scooters. Some have three or four people on each scooter, including small children sitting between parents. I had culture shock because it's so dangerous. My learning curve was to stand further away from the speeding scooters while waiting for a green light to cross.

Taiwan, like the US, allows drivers to make a right turn on a red light if no pedestrians are crossing. But many drivers turn right even when pedestrians are crossing during a green light. Many Taiwan restaurants allow customers only 90 minutes for meals. This is difficult when some friends you invite arrive late. When I go with friends to restaurants, we like to chat while slowly enjoying our food and wine. People go to restaurants for a good time, not to rush.

初到台灣的人很快便會意識到，自己正面對一個陡峭的學習曲綫（steep learning curve），是他們必須要應付的。我住在台北大概有六個月，就經歷了這麼一條學習曲綫（learning curve）。A learning curve就是人們從錯誤中學習的一個過程；a steep learning curve就是指他們必須在短期內快速地學懂。台灣是個已發展的地方，有一流的醫療、交通、網絡、餐廳、夜市以及公園，是個居住舒適亦負擔得起的地方。然而，我在二零二二年十月到台北逗留長一點的時間，還是經歷了culture shock 。

Culture shock是文化衝擊，就是突然置身於一個陌生的地方，做法跟你慣常的那套截然不同，因而感到困惑和不確定。我的文化衝擊（culture shock）就是見到數以百計莽撞的司機（reckless drivers）駕駛着嘈吵的機車。Reckless drivers就是魯莽、危險駕駛的司機。台北的路滿是高速的機車，一些會一輛車載乘三或四個人，包括坐在家長中間的幼小孩童。那實在太危險了，這讓我感受到了文化衝擊（culture shock）。我的學習曲綫（learning curve）就是在等待綠燈過馬路時，離那些高速的機車站得遠遠的。

台灣跟美國一樣，如果沒有行人橫過馬路，司機在紅燈時可以右轉。然而，即使行人在綠燈時過馬路，卻仍有許多司機右轉。許多台灣餐廳只給予顧客九十分鐘的用餐時間。但當你約的一些朋友遲了到來的話，這就很困難了。當我約朋友們去餐廳時，我們喜歡一邊傾談，一邊慢慢地享受佳餚美酒。人們去餐廳是要度過美好的時光，而不是去趕時間。

 
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Michael Chugani褚簡寧
中譯：七刻