MONEY

Money or, more importantly, the way money is used is most interesting in Taiwan. In the Western world it is seen as important to gather money, yet we have a strange reaction to how we show our wealth. We appear shy to reveal the actual amount of money we have, but we allow it to be expressed by the items we buy. We can drive the latest cars, live in the grandest houses and wear clothes made of the most expensive materials, but our bank balances and pay cheques are kept rigidly secret. Is it because we judge people’s worth based on the money they have?

In Taiwan there is a different approach. Money is seen as something to be used and, often, used openly. I have had a boss call across the staff room for me to collect my pay. I then sat with her as she told me the amount and asked me to count it out. This wasn't done privately and anyone in the room could hear and see.
This would never happen in South Africa. For one thing it'd make me a target for a mugging.

Tomorrow is Teachers’ Day in Taiwan and so today we were all given a small bonus. In a western country I’d have expected to be handed a sealed envelope with a thank you note and, perhaps, some money inside. Here they gave everyone money in an envelope. When I was presented with mine, I was also handed a form where I had to sign by my name to say that I’d received mine. Not only could I see that every teacher had been given the same bonus, but by signing it was clear that this was seen more as something expected of the school. The signing meant that a record was being kept. Rather than simply being a gift, it was something the school felt obligated to do.

This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed this. At Chinese New Year (which is based on the Lunar Cycle, like Easter, and takes place usually in late January or early February) children are given red envelopes with money in them from older members of the family. Once again it seems expected of people to do this.

Another thing I've noticed is that people buy presents for others when they themselves have a reason to celebrate. When one of my friend’s uncles opened a new shop, he bought presents for all of his siblings. They were fairly expensive, too; large pot plants of a variety of bamboo which can be manipulated to grow into certain shapes. The larger they are, the more expensive they become, due to the work required to shape them, and these ones were quite big. We still have it in our living room. That wasn't an independent event. Usually when a new shop opens, they have massive sales on and often give things away as well.