It sounds like you had an amazing unexpected day. So great to hear that you are happy there and you are making good connections. Everyone that knows you loves your energy and your great attitude, (and those beautiful eyes). I look forward to coming to visit you there and see the beautiful places and people you have come to love. Miss you but seeing and hearing you gives my heart joy!

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

Thank you Mom! Yes, I cannot wait to have you pay me a visit so that I can show you some of what this country has to offer and introduce you to a few of the significant characters in my life. Love you and hope your week goes great!

Nice! Seems like the principal likes you. And glad you're blending in with the top of the hierarchy haha. Well the documentary was really beautiful. And yes he was indeed legendary. You should see it actually. Can't believe it's still so hot in Taiwan haha. It's cold here. Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪!

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

Yes, I definitely need to get around to watching this doc as I've heard so many great things about it. Still warm but slightly better each week. Thanks bro, keep up the good work in Europe!

@onlyfansmarco

9 ай бұрын

So glad to see you are having a blast! #stayepic

It’s nice that your work day turned into this exciting adventure. I’m so happy that your loving the new school and that your well liked already. That’s so cool that monkeys can sometimes be seen on the school campus. I had no idea that the child population was dwindling in Taiwan. That’s very fascinating. It’s good that your an attraction at the school and helping them to stay open.

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

Heyyyy Diana! Yes, it's quite an interesting position I've found myself in. Sometimes I just can't believe how funny this gig can get. Anyways, hope you're doing well sis and please come visit me if you ever get the chance :)

@Diana_Free

9 ай бұрын

@@ryfree Haha it seems it! Right, it sounds wild. I’m glad your sharing the craziness on here 😄 Thank you! I hope your doing well, bro! That’d be so cool :)

Great video and content! Thanks for sharing! I'm moving to Kaohsiung in January from South Africa, it will be my first time teaching English, and at the end of the video you touched upon the other stresses of being an ESL teacher. I don't mean to focus on any negatives, but I would love to hear what you have to say about those stresses in the daily life of an ESL teacher in Taiwan that most people might not know about when starting on this path. Again, great content, keep it up!

@calvinbafshoe2626

9 ай бұрын

Kudos to you 😍 and i wish you well on your teaching journey in Taiwan. I'm a fellow south african and would like to know which agency did you use to apply for a teaching post in Taiwan?

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

Hi Jamie, thanks for the great question. I'll try to do a video on this topic but I'll just briefly mention some of those things that I alluded to. The positives of the job and opportunity are indeed great but I feel that for many people it can take quite a toll psychologically to deal with the stresses of all the changes you'll encounter: food, culture, language, education and work style, people in your life, etc. Your life will be exciting but also very different from what you're accustomed to. Restarting your life in another place also means you'll have to build new significant relationships otherwise you might end up feeling isolated and lonely. That said, with the right attitude towards adapting to your new life, a little patience, and taking the chance to put yourself out there, your new life should bloom like a well watered garden eventually. Anyways, hope that helps for now and congrats on finding a job!

@jamiewilliampage7432

9 ай бұрын

Thank you for taking the time to respond! That's really great advice, I look forward to the opportunities and the challenges alike!@@ryfree

@jamiewilliampage7432

9 ай бұрын

Thanks! I made a direct contact while still in SA, so I haven't used any agencies. I did however consider the agency that Ryan used, which I believe is called "Premier". They seem very legit and helpful. @@calvinbafshoe2626

HAHaHaHA.... I think that you summed up how to be successful in Taiwan..... roll with the punches.....and smile. Congrats on your first year!

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

Yes, I forgot to mention the smile part! You're absolutely right Mike, thank you so much for sharing my friend.

Haha soo cool! Glad to know you're warming up to Kaohsiung (literally 😂) but yes it's hot these days in Taiwan! Keep up the content and do you think Kaohsiung is pleasant to go around without having a scooter? I've had a scooter pretty much the whole time I was in Taiwan so I'm totally out of touch with the sharebike/public transport side of living here 😅

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

Great question Tice! On the one hand, I find cycling around Kaohsiung much better than in Taoyuan due to the broad roads and availability of sidewalks. On the other hand, the city is much bigger so cycling across it is quite the feat (at least for my cheapo Giant Momentum) without parking at a LRT or MRT station to make the journey more of a combo. I'm planning to get a scooter in the near future and predict that it'll open up commute and transit options that seem far too daunting at present. Any advice for someone about to take the test and buy their first scooter?

@TravelingTice

9 ай бұрын

@@ryfree Ah thanks! Yes Kaohsiung is a very big city indeed! But the fact they have an MRT can be convenient.. if you need to go somewhere on that line 😅 it's the same in Taichung where I go frequently. For scooter I heard getting the license is really easy! Like you just need to follow a track, not even need to go on the road. As for purchasing one, I'd just do it at a dealer, I got mine at "非常機車" which I see is also in Kaohsiung. They give first 3 months free repairs which I made quite some use of. I got my scooter there secondhand for around $850 usd which is a fair price I think

Did they ask all the teachers to speak I wonder, or pick out Ryan as a fun American?

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

In this particular instance they only had me to choose from as I'm the only FET (foreign English teacher) at my school. But your question is a good one because at my last school where there were several of us, I was often chosen to perform in certain capacities while others were not. I don't think the American has much to do with it though. For many of the projects in Taoyuan, they simply chose the teachers they thought most suited for the job.

I’m thinking maybe the principal has a crush on you. Why are the students still wearing masks?

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

I'm not 100% sure on that but I'll keep you posted 😅 About the masks, Taiwan was late to dropping the mandate and they've been coming off very very very slowly. Asian culture?

So sad to see all those kids wearing face diapers😱😷!

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

Yeah it's tough for me to see the kids wearing them as well

@robharris3993

9 ай бұрын

Do you ever try to educate them that they are hurting their health? ...or would that jeopardize your job?@@ryfree

@ryfree

9 ай бұрын

It would be like going to Muslim school and trying to convince the girls to take off their hijab. Let the religious costume wearers see a free man and make their own decision vs trying to outright proselytize is my approach@@robharris3993

@James-ku1qs

5 ай бұрын

❤ 15:22 ​@@robharris3993