http://udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/NAT5/6715909.shtml
他們看台灣／來台灣 半夜不怕肚子餓
【聯合報╱本報記者蔡明樺】 2011.11.14 02:54 am
我四年前從美國波士頓來台灣擔任英文老師，原本只打算待一年，但台灣的朋友充滿人情味，轉眼一住就是四年，和其他國家相比，這裡的人很友善，生活又方便，實在沒有離開的理由。
四年前剛到台灣時，我連簡單的「謝謝、你好」都不會講，但不管到超商購物或到銀行辦事，總有人主動幫忙翻譯。在台灣，我感受不到冷漠，這裡的人好客又熱情，讓我很感動。
My comments: Most Taiwanese have a tender heart.
台北的交通讓許多外國朋友說「印象深刻」，在美國我住過紐約、波士頓，尖峰車流量比台北更誇張，不管在哪個國家，只要是都會區，都能在馬路上見到超速、到處亂鑽的現象，台北並沒有特別糟糕，而且大眾運輸系統很方便，根本不需要騎車或開車。
My comments: However, outside Taipei, without a car or a motorcycle, it's not that easy to go around.
機車多 占人行道
台灣最大特色是機車特別多，走在人行道或騎樓，經常被違停的機車擋道；更誇張的是，還有人把機車直接騎上人行道，我走在路上要東閃西躲。
My comments: Years ago, when I was back in Taipei from the US, one of the things that I couldn't get used to easily was the motorcycles. In Champaign, Illinois, motorcycles were rare.
在美國過了晚上九點，街上很難找到東西吃。來台灣後，最讓我訝異的是，這裡的便利商店密度超高，裡頭賣便當、麵包、熱狗、沙拉等，非常方便，而且是廿四小時營業，工作再晚也不怕餓肚子。
怕茶葉蛋 愛皮蛋
我常和朋友逛夜市，炒飯、水餃和牛肉麵都很美味，唯一不敢吃的是茶葉蛋。前陣子CNN和富比士（Forbes）雜誌網站把皮蛋列為最噁心食物，我倒不這麼認為，皮蛋光看很可怕，但嘗過之後，就知道有多好吃。
My comments: CNN selected preserved eggs the No. 1 most disgusting food in the world, but the correspondent apologized later.
在美國時，我就很喜歡看MLB大聯盟、NBA職籃；來台灣後，認識一群志同道合的朋友，假日一起運動、看球賽轉播，後來有人提議乾脆集資開運動餐廳。一年多前我在南崁落腳，就開了運動餐廳實現大家的夢想。
建仔妮妮 拉人潮
今年王建民在國民隊復出，重新擦亮「台灣之光」招牌，曾雅妮也在LPGA坐穩球后寶座，為店裡帶進不少客人，只要他們投出三振或抓小鳥（Birdy），歡呼、加油聲此起彼落，我經常會跟著忘情吶喊，和客人一起瘋，很開心。
放假時我喜歡到海邊享受陽光、沙灘，到過福隆、墾丁和澎湖。到澎湖最像出國度假，交通方便，搭飛機不到一個小時，離島觀光客少，不像墾丁人擠人，一到澎湖整個人都放鬆，比起峇里島、普吉島等知名東南亞度假勝地，澎湖毫不遜色。
My comments: As a Taiwanese, I've never been to the Penghu Islands!
拚觀光 缺多樣性
台灣觀光拚得兇，以澎湖來說，有很棒的天然資源，不過對外國遊客的吸引力卻不如東南亞，我認為原因出在觀光的「多樣性」不足。在峇里島、普吉島，旅客可以選擇各式不同風格的飯店，西方人習慣吃牛排、漢堡，那邊各國美食都有，澎湖除了海鮮還是海鮮，稍嫌可惜。
台灣的人情味是送給外國朋友最棒的禮物，我常鼓勵家鄉的親友來台灣，感受過這裡的熱情後，一輩子難忘懷。
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The following is part of a piece of news I presented to Class 311 last week. The news was from the Taipei Times (Tue. Nov. 8, 2011), about an aid worker Janine Maxwell. In the interview, Ms. Maxwell spoke highly of the Taiwanese.
"In the eyes of Janine Maxwell, a renowned charity worker dedicated to helping children in Africa, Taiwan is a “unique” country.
“Taiwanese people are so unique. You are such a unique country. I travel all over the world and I have never met people like Taiwanese people,” Maxwell said in an interview with the Taipei Times on Oct. 29.
People in Taiwan have very tender hearts, she said, adding that “when I speak to students and parents, they are very truly concerned about what’s happening in other parts of the world. They don’t know about it, but they want to immediately know: ‘What can I do to help?’”
Maxwell was in Taiwan for the “100km Walk for Water,” a fund-raising event for clean water in Africa, which was organized by Changhua Senior High School librarian Lewis Lu (呂興忠) and his students and included students from six counties, taking place in four central Taiwan counties from Oct. 24 to Oct. 28.
During her stay, she also delivered speeches to senior-high students.
“I have never seen anything like this before. The students walking with the [donation] boxes and people pulling up on their mopeds, they said ‘Stop, stop, stop,’ telling us to stop so that they can put money in. That’s incredible,” she said.
Maxwell, who had previously visited Taiwan after she met Lu in 2008 when he was with a group of his students volunteering in Swaziland, said she “hasn’t met anyone in Taiwan who tried to discourage her.”
“But in America, yes. In Canada, yes, and in Swaziland, yes,” she said.
People who poured cold water on her efforts often gave her reasons like “the government should do it or someone else should help;” “if you only help a few children, it’s not enough;” and “everywhere in Africa is corrupt, so you are just helping corruption,” she said...."
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