Getting set up - sim, banking, credit card
With the 21 days of quarantine and self-health management over it was time to get set up as a local. This is when life got really interesting. First, when I applied for my gold card I did not have an address, and as such my gold card was issued without a Taiwan address on it. I never thought this would be an issue until I went to try to set things up. I should provide a bit of clarification on this. I chose to live in Banqiao New Taipei for several reasons, first it is a full local experience, and secondly the rents are cheaper. There are areas designed more for foreigners such as Da'an district, Xinyi district, Tainmu district, and Beitou district to name a few. You will find it much easier to survive in English and be self-sufficient in these type of areas. Being in Banqiao means that most barely speak English, and landlords are mostly not open to renting to foreigners for a variety of reasons. As previously mentioned my lease was entered into by a Taiwanese friend of mine a