SSAB - May 26, 2026

Steve, if you’re not going to do cultural stuff, why are you still in Taiwan?Off to the museum today, how as it? Cheap!Fingerprints, apostille and visa applications, how is it going?How is the hostel? YOUNG! Lots of recent grads taking a few weeks off before finding or starting a job. They talk about going to all the places I’ve been!And an interview with another expat, Russ, from the USA! Hear what level of Chinese he’s at already! What was his key to success??Donate to the show! PayPal link below!https://www.paypal.me/stevensirski?locale.x=en_CA***Show notes n tracks up on stevensirski.comAnd on Notion: https://stevensirski.notion.site/SSAB-The-Audio-Blog-of-Steven-Sirski-00acfe344e164bfab191d3cddf6952b2?pvs=4Newsletter over at stevensirski.substack.comLanguage vlog on http://www.youtube.com/@stevenslanguagevlogGoogle Stock Tracker Sheethttps://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kbpCC2cieuq23zYyr0-WznPRogVX0aS86BF4_vPvgMY/edit?usp=sharingHope you have a great one!! 00:00 Taipei Trip Setup01:37 Fingerprint Job Paperwork02:26 Apostille Explained Frustrations04:30 Why Taiwan Content Practice07:41 Livestream Math Costs09:38 Hostel People Stories14:17 More Fingerprint Logistics19:35 Museum Peace Park Visit22:29 Gold Silver Tael Rabbit Hole27:39 Teasing Russ Interview Topics34:26 Meet Russ At The Bar35:18 Russ APRC And Health Insurance37:12 Russ Taiwan Timeline Return39:22 Why Taiwan Geography Access40:53 Why Taiwan Happened42:04 Mandarin Accents Talk42:38 Residency And Citizenship43:38 Taiwan Pay Reality Check45:52 Stay Or Return US47:27 Public Health To Data48:28 Broken Systems And Faxes50:17 Coding Stack And Workarounds52:08 Taiwan Work Culture Shock54:24 Freelance Clients In AI Era56:12 Vibe Coding Security Risks01:00:26 Taipei Itinerary And Hikes01:03:01 Beyond Taipei Day Trips01:03:14 Taroko to Hehuanshan01:03:51 Tainan Colonial History01:04:03 Outer Islands Overview01:04:36 Cold War Bunkers01:04:57 Island Defense Geography01:06:27 Exploring Tunnels Yourself01:07:24 Beating Taipei Humidity01:08:10 Arcaded Sidewalk Architecture01:09:11 City Life vs Outdoors01:10:35 Driving Taiwan vs China01:11:56 Cycling Around Taiwan01:14:35 Bike Routes and Road Safety01:16:55 Weather and Solo Touring01:18:07 Spiders Snakes and Strays01:20:00 Deer Bears and Wild Pigs01:22:13 Dogs and Safety01:22:26 Taiwan Bucket List01:23:00 US Job Logistics01:24:20 Chinese Level Check01:25:11 Why Chinese Gets Rusty01:26:50 Learning Journey Abroad01:29:20 Motivation and Tones01:32:04 Study Resources and Hanzi01:34:48 Favorite Words and Slang01:37:05 Taiwanese Language Basics01:39:21 Bopomofo vs Pinyin01:42:03 Wrap Up and Thanks