#also need to send a package to south Italy but again. you guessed it

[erlanmizu]

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[culturegazing]

Interviews | Yu Yen

Yu Yen is a Masters’ student in London who frequently sends me photos of faces she makes with food. The first time we met was at an awkward welcoming party where I gave her a Tim Tam and she gave me Taiwanese cookies. Food just makes people bond.

 CG: Hi! Where were you born and where do you live now?

Y: I was born in Taiwan and live in the UK now. 

CG: Have you ever lived anywhere else?

Y: Yeah Nishinomiya, Japan for about one year.

CG: What are the main differences between these cities? Did you experience any culture shock?

Y: Sorry pal, I think I need some time like 10 minutes to think about this question.

CG: (laughs) Yeah take your time.

Y: Main differences 1. The distance between people (This varies from person to person though) I think in Nishinomiya and New Taipei City (where I was born), people tend to be more hospitable, while in London people may just want you to leave them alone. Besides that, when I came to London, some people reminded me to be more aware when walking on the street, because in some areas theft and robbery have been a problem. However, in Japan or Taiwan, that is not a serious problem, so I feel I can trust others more.

2. Diversity No matter in Japan or back in Taiwan, foreigners, especially those who apparently ‘look different’ from local people, easily draw attention. However, in London, I guess most people are used to meeting people from different countries/cultures, so that situation rarely happens here.

3. Japan is quite collectivist, Taiwan is kind of in the middle, and the UK is more individualist.

4. (I am not sure if this counts or not) At school, people from the Western world are more likely to actively give their opinions or answer questions in class and I think it is because they are encouraged to do so and being different is not deemed as a bad thing in their societies.

5. Culture shock

UK 1. In my hometown or in Japan, the density of convenience stores is quite high, while in London, albeit it is such a metropolis, I have to walk for about 10 minutes to find one, which I think is less convenient. 2. From my observation, I think people do not care about public cleanliness that much in London. For example, compared to Japan and Taiwan, public transportation as a whole here is much dirtier. Moreover, they are less environmentally conscious because they do not really do recycling as much as people in Taiwan or Japan.

Japan 1. No makeup sometimes may be considered inconsiderate in Japanese society. Comparatively speaking, they spend lots of time and efforts on their appearance and think following the fashion is quite important. 2. There is a very strict hierarchical structure in their society. Examples can be seen even at schools where you have to respect the seniors a lot. As for the workplace, you have to use 'keigo' when talking to your boss, which does not exist in Taiwanese or British culture.

I think there's more but these are the things I could come up with so far.

CG: Wow! That is a long list, thanks for sharing! So how did you end up in London and what are you doing there?

Y: This may sound a bit stupid but it’s true haha. I felt so happy being able to learn new things and make friends with people from different countries when I was in Japan. Based on that experience and after talking to some of my friends and family, I decided to go and study abroad again. Since I didn’t want to spend too much time on it, I decided to come here to study MSc International Marketing on a one-year program. Also, I heard that London is a diverse city where I can experience a totally different life. And partly because I’ve never been to this side of the world so I wanted to give it a try when getting the chance to do so.  I feel that’s a bit stupid now because studying a masters degree is not as interesting as studying as an exchange student.

CG: I don’t think it sounds stupid at all. What do you miss most about Taiwan?

Y: I miss my family, friends and dogs the most. I also miss tasty and cheap food. (laughs) I think I miss the sense of belonging and how convenient it is, like cleaner public transportation and the high density of convenience stores. 

CG: What were the best things about exchange in Japan?

Y: 1. Being able to meet people from different countries/backgrounds which could indeed be life-changing (as you said haha) 2. Learning Japanese and travelling around Japan I think learning a language in the country where it is spoken and travelling around allowed me to learn more cultural things (e.g. their dialects and differences within the country) 3. JASSO [a scholarship] because I think it’s quite important to be economically independent to some degree 4. New products in convenience store/supermarkets Haha they launched new package or new products so often and I do appreciate some of their ideas (and liked trying new ice cream flavours hehe) which made me become more interested in marketing 5. The standard of living is high (Like Japan is safe and clean)

CG: Interesting. What do you love to do?

Y: I like watching TV, reading novels, travelling, cooking, making crafts (like handmade cards), listening to the music, and Postcrossing (does this count?)

CG: Cool! Yeah Postcrossing counts! Where have you received postcards from

Y: I’ve received postcards from Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Czech, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, the USA, Ukraine, and the UK. Most of them were from Germany, Russia, USA, Netherlands, and Finland.

CG: Oh my gosh, that’s so many! I’ve thought about signing up for a while.

What are some of your favourite TV shows and books?

Y: Usually I like watching dramas and Taiwanese TV shows. Do you want me to tell you the names of them?. And there’s a Japanese TV show called ‘Why Did You Come to Japan?’ that I liked watching (because I haven’t watched for a long time) As for books, Harry Potter (but I’m not sure if I’d wanna read them again now...) Pride and Prejudice, Jimmy Liao’s picture books, and a Chinese novel called ‘The Color of the Deep Ocean’ are my favourites.

CG: Sure I’d like to know the names of the shows you like! 

F: There’s one called WTO Sister Show (the English name is probably a bit weird but basically it’s a talk show and some foreigners living in or moving to Taiwan are the regulars). And I also watch a talk show called 小燕有約 and others like ‘Stylish Man the Chef’ (a cooking show) and Mr. Player (a game show). Sorry they all have strange English names. And one doesn’t have English name. 

CG: Do the shows and books you like share common themes?

I’d say not really. The shows and books I like don’t share common themes and sometimes can be quite different actually.

CG: What has been the best year of your life so far?

Y: Umm I’d say the exchange year in Japan. Though I also experienced something sad in the year, I think it was still the best year of my life because it was the first time I left home (for such a long time) and stepped out of my comfort zone, which made me know myself better (kinda haha) and explore the world more as well. And probably also because I didn’t expect I’d make so many friends during the year so when I met so many amazing and kind people (you’re one of them haha) I felt so lucky and thankful.

CG: What do you think society could do without?

Y: I think my answer sounds too utopian but here it is.  - Discrimination and gender inequality: because it’s quite unfair that one being is treated differently just by things he/she can’t decide, and it is who they really are that is more important, instead of what gender, ethnic, etc they are. (But sometimes I probably also make judgments beforehand...) - Hatred because so many tragedies have resulted from this - Criminals (I don’t know if this is too general or if this sounds like a social justice warrior...): Although this may be related to the social structure and their family backgrounds, I just feel there are probably better ways to solve problems instead of committing a crime. - Weapons: It’s quite important that countries should protect their citizens but if there weren’t weapons, we’d probably try to solve confrontations between countries in a more peaceful way.

CG: Interesting. Where do you see yourself in the future? 

Y: To be honest, I don’t really know how to achieve these goals and also doubt my abilities but anyways... I hope I can: 1. Earn my masters degree first (haha) 2. Get a job related to marketing that allows me to earn enough money to support myself (become economically independent) and simultaneously make people happy in some way (e.g. by satisfying their needs/wants like what Disney/USJ/Sanrio etc do). 3. Take my family travelling and give them anything they want 4. Meet you guys and all the friends I made in Japan again 5. Travel as much as I can 6. Become a better person (may sound a bit cliche but it’s true (laughs)

CG: Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing a small part of your life with me!

Yu Yen’s awesome food faces

Her dogs, 5 & 7