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Hi, my name is Manuel! I am from Spain and I am a Student Advisor at LTL and I’m based at our Taipei school.How To Get Over Homesickness || Beating Homesickness in Taipei
5 Proven Ways On How To Get Over Homesickness in Taiwan
A question that gets asked a lot by long-term students and expats – how to get over homesickness
Whether you’re in town for a study vacation to learn Mandarin or planning a longer stay, it can kick in at any time.
Here’s a quick guide to making yourself right at home in Taiwan.
How to Get Over Homesickness #1 || Familiar Faces
How to Get Over Homesickness #2 || Get Involved
How to Get Over Homesickness #3 || Appreciate The Difference
How to Get Over Homesickness #4 || Take a Fresh Look
How to Get Over Homesickness #5 || Find a Taste of Home
How to Get Over Homesickness || FAQs
How to Get Over Homesickness #1 – Find a Familiar Face
Get a little routine going: pick a place for coffee and go back three days in a row.
We guarantee that by the third day, they’ll recognize you and say hello.
Establishing a routine and having at least one person who knows you (OK, remembers your face and how you like your latte) is a simple way to brighten your day right from the start and stop feeling homesick in Taipei, or anywhere for that matter.
The smaller and cosier, the better – you might not get the same level of friendliness at the 101 Starbucks as you will in your local family-run cafe.
Loneliness is real.
Especially if you’ve come to Taiwan on your own.
Facetime and video calls with friends and family back home are great but they’re no match for spending time with people in real life.
Remember that you’re not the only one in this position and there are others in the same boat, so don’t be shy to make connections and get involved.
How to Get Over Homesickness #2 – Get Involved
As well as the regular social events organized by LTL Taiwan, there’s stuff happening all over Taipei for expats and visitors.
Facebook is a great tool to find out what’s going on: sign up to groups for expats, or look out for upcoming events.
If you keep busy, you won’t have time to feel homesick.
The Community Services Centre in Taiwan’s Tianmu district caters for expats and is a great resource for anyone who’s feeling homesick in Taipei.
It’s a good place to go for advice, making friends and cultural activities, and they regularly organize activities like cooking classes, hikes and tours.
Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers – they could just be the friend you haven’t met yet.
Start with a smile and you’ll quickly know whether they’re up for making new pals or prefer their own company.
TIP – Taiwan is a very safe country but you should always be mindful of your personal safety when travelling solo, anywhere in the world: don’t be too quick to tell people you’re on your own and never reveal where you are staying. Stay alert and trust your intuition.
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How to Get Over Homesickness #3 – Appreciate Differences
Still not sold on how to get over homesickness in Taipei?
Let’s go on…
The best way to tackle homesickness is to face it head-on, so think about why you came to Taipei in the first place and focus on everything that gets this city recognized as one of the world’s best places for expats year after year.
Embrace your new home, whether you’re staying in Taipei for a short visit or the long-term.
Write lists of everything you want to do, see and experience while you’re here, and start ticking them off.
Explore and discover: your new favourite food could be just a block away at the night-market, waiting for you to try it.
Take the opportunity of being in a new city far from home to try something new.
Muay Thai, anyone?
How to Get Over Homesickness #4 – Take a Fresh Look
Make a mental note every time you have a positive experience or discover something about Taiwan that you love.
This will help you to focus on how the experience is enriching you.
Understand that your feelings of homesickness are driven by nostalgia, and that can distort our views of places, people and events.
Were people really that friendly in your home town? Was the traffic always so much better?
Avoid falling into the habit of idealizing the past and think more about the present.
Instead of contrasting ‘now’ with ‘then’ and thinking about how the past was better, consider how the positive experiences from your past can help you in your new situation.
Think about something positive from your life before and think: what can I use from that experience to help me now?
Even feeling homesick in Taipei can be a positive thing: it will make you more resilient and better able to cope with different situations in the future.
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How to Get Over Homesickness #5 Get a taste of home
Tired of tofu? Bored of baozi?
In terms of how to get over homesickness, this is probably our favourite!
You’ve come halfway across the world to experience a different way of life only to find yourself missing basic home comforts.
Don’t worry, it happens to all of us.
The good news is that Taipei is a food heaven and it’s easy to beat homesickness with your favourite flavours of home.
You will find a lot of foreign foods in Taiwanese supermarkets: check out Jason’s Market, PX Market and Carrefour for the biggest selections.
From Italian to Mexican, French to Indian, there are Taipei eateries serving up authentic foreign cuisine that guarantee some instant familiarity for those who are far from home.
Here’s a short round-up of some of our tried-and-tested favourites.
These are our go-to places if you’re feeling homesick in Taipei and want a taste of home.
| Cuisine | Restaurant Name | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Italian | Antico Forno | There are several really great Italian restaurants and decent pasta dishes to be had right across town. But Antico Forno wins for its pizzas – definitely the best we’ve had in Taipei. |
| French | Lutetia | While most of Taipei’s French restaurants are catering to Michelin-tastes (and fat wallets), we would single out Lutetia for great pastries and fresh bread because what’s more French than a good coffee and a buttery croissant while you watch the world go by? Take a baguette home with you – you won’t find bread this good anywhere else in Taipei. |
| British | On Tap | Nothing says British like beer, football and pub food. On Tap is a firm favorite among Taipei’s expat community for its large beer selection, big screen Premier League football and authentic pub vibe, a guaranteed remedy for any Brits who are homesick in Taipei. |
| American | Eggs ‘n Things | Anyone for pancakes? Americans are spoiled for choice when it comes to a taste from home, but we love Eggs ‘n Things thanks to their deliciously fluffy pancakes. A close runner up is Liquid Bread, where the pastrami sandwich rivals anything you’ll find in New York. |
| Indian | Balle Balle | Authentic, flavorsome curry and side-dishes made with tongue-tingling fresh ingredients that will make Indians (and Brits) think of home. If you like it spicy, ask the chef to make it as hot as you can handle. |
| Mexican | Teotihuacan | While most Mexican restaurants stray down the Tex-Mex route (hey, no judgement here…) Teotihuacan stays true to its roots with authentically Mexican dishes. |
| Australian | Woolloomooloo | This is an awesome place to enjoy a flat-white in a glass, true Oz-style. Woolloomooloo also serves up a selection of smoothies and healthy Australian dishes in a communal canteen-style restaurant that’s perfect if you like chatting to your neighbor. Book a spot for Sunday brunch because it gets busy. |
| Israeli | The Pita Bar | We won’t reignite the debate on where humus originated from, but let’s just say this restaurant will also appeal to lovers of Lebanese, Greek and Turkish food. The Pita Bar has some of the best humus we’ve ever tasted, and don’t leave without trying the shakshuka. |
Being Homesick || FAQs
What is a good way to combat homesickness?
Establishing a routine and having at least one person who knows you (OK, remembers your face and how you like your latte) is a simple way to brighten your day right from the start and stop feeling homesickness in Taipei, or anywhere for that matter.
Is Taipei a good place for foreigners?
It really is!
In fact, this city recognized as one of the world’s best places for expats year after year.
Can I access foreign food in Taipei?
Easily yes.
You will find a lot of foreign foods in Taiwanese supermarkets: check out Jason’s Market, PX Market and Carrefour for the biggest selections.
There are also lots of restaurants and bars with food from all over the globe.
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BONUS | Want to study the local Taiwanese dialect known as Hokkien? We provide Hokkien classes in person and online.
2 comments
We all feel it. I haven’t been home since the pandemic but I am going home in two months (after 4 years). Missing my family greatly but also equally grateful for technology. It feels like we aren’t apart.
I just want that big hug that computers cannot replicate. Counting down now
Oh Emily what a shame but we are so happy you are finally going home. Have a great time!