Winter in Kaohsiung / 愛上高雄冬天的好天氣、I want to take the KMRT / 我要乘坐捷運
◎By Ya-Ting Hou ◎Photo by Chung-Hui Pao
Chris Harniness has been living in Kaohsiung for 5 years. Chris and his family returned to Kaohsiung because his Taiwanese wife preferred it to life in England, as well as the fact that they wanted their daughter to receive a Chinese education. When asked about what he likes most about Kaohsiung, Chris replied, "weather in winter".
Chris said that Kaohsiung has changed a lot from the once grayish industrial city image of yesteryear to the now increasingly modern look of today. Places such as the ports and the port area have been opened to the public, not to mention an increase in the forests and parks available for citizens. According to Chris, pulling down the fences of the Cultural Centre was another piece of successful planning on the part of the government. Since Chris enjoys going to theatre performances, he thinks it's a bless that such a wide range of international performances can be seen at the Cultural Centre.
During his leisure time, Chris likes to go walking at Chaishan, Banpingshan and around Cheng Ching Lake. Some other places such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Love River, and the British Consulate at Dagou are also amongst his favourite places in Kaohsiung. He recommends that visitors to Kaohsiung make a trip out to Sizihwan Bay and Kaohsiung Port to take in the wonderful view from the British Consulate at Dagou.
Chris looks at Kaohsiung as a place with friendly citizens, dynamic activities, great food, and a much cheaper cost of living than Taipei. However, getting used to the traffic requires some time. Chris gets around on bicycle, and he suggests foreigners be careful not to apply the same traffic rules from back home when commuting around Kaohsiung. Chris is also looking forward to the completion of the High Speed Railway and KMRT, like most people in Kaohsiung. He hopes that after the new forms of transportation are up and running in Kaohsiung, traffic will be lighter, and transportation more convenient.
◎文/侯雅婷 ◎攝影/鮑忠暉
今年是Chris Harniness居住在高雄的第5年,當初因為台灣籍的太太不想繼續留在英國,而且也為了讓女兒接受中文教育,Chris一家人選擇回到台灣。問起Chris最喜歡高雄什麼?他的答案另人莞爾,是高雄冬天的好天氣!
Chris坦言,高雄現在有著截然不同的地景、地貌,一改過去灰朦朦的刻板工業城市印象,對於近年高雄持續進行的建設,Chris都給予相當肯定,例如:水岸空間改造計劃,港邊及碼頭的開放;城市的綠美化,提供越來越多的公園與綠地讓民眾使用,乃至於拆除圍牆的文化中心,讓市民享有更豐富的公共空間,這些都是Chris眼中相當成功的範例,喜愛欣賞表演的Chris並表示,在文化中心就可以欣賞到國際上許多知名表演團體的演出,是一種福氣。
喜歡健行的Chris,平日會到柴山、半屏山以及澄清湖走走,還有美術館、愛河、前清打狗英國領事館都是他很喜愛的地方,他特別推薦從英國領事館往下俯看西子灣和高雄港的壯麗景色。
Chris眼中的高雄有著友善的市民,居住在這裏擁有多樣化的休閒選擇,飲食不但多元化,而且還物美價廉,住宿方面,相較於台北也便宜許多,而讓許多外籍人士頗有微詞的交通,平日以腳踏車代步的他表示,只要小心一些,隨時注意週圍的情況,更重要的是駕駛人應調整自己的心態,不要理所當然地把故鄉駕車的經驗原封不動地應用到高雄,這是Chris誠懇地忠告。談起影響高雄的重大建設─高速鐵路和高雄捷運,就如同所有的市民一般,Chris期盼通車後,帶來更便捷的交通。
◎Text and photo by Sandra Ou
Jeff Pella found himself in Kaohsiung seven years ago when friends recommended that he come here to teach English. Originally from Canada, Jeff's experience as an English teacher over the last seven years has shown him that Taiwan isn't just a great place for teaching, but also a wonderful city that boasts interesting culture, friendly people, and delicious food.
Although the thought of moving to other cities within Taiwan has crossed Jeff's mind, not to mention the fact that he has visited many cities around Taiwan including Taipei, Hualian, and Kenting, Jeff still prefers Kaohsiung. A resident of Kaohsiung since he arrived in Taiwan, Jeff feels most comfortable here mainly because most of his friends as well as his girlfriend reside in Kaohsiung. In his free time, Jeff goes hiking at Shoushan as frequently as twice a week. He feels that hiking not only helps to keep a healthy body and mind, but is also great for meeting people; and the free tea at the top is a nice treat too.
Jeff also commented on the abundance of traditional Taiwanese snacks and variety of readily available cuisine. Amongst his favourite foods include deep-fried chicken fillet, mango with shaved ice, and sweet butter and cream buns. Jeff also thinks that there is a much greater variety of fruit in Taiwan compared to Canada; especially the much bigger, and more delicious papayas.
Similar to the thoughts of many other foreigners in Kaohsiung, Jeff also feels that the road rules could be better followed. Therefore, Jeff is hoping that the Kaohsiung City Government can actively promote responsible driving in order to provide tourists with a carefree trip to Kaohsiung.
Reminiscing on his seven years in Kaohsiung, Jeff said that there are many more beautiful parks, as well as an increase in the amount of available English information making Kaohsiung a more convenient place to live. Upon reflecting on the current constructive development taking place in Kaohsiung, Jeff is anxiously awaiting the completion of the Kaohsiung Dome and KMRT. He said, "I can't wait to take a ride on the KMRT", a step that he feels is paving the way towards an increasingly convenient and global Kaohsiung.
◎文.攝影/歐陽萱
Jeff是在朋友的推薦下,離開家鄉加拿大,來到高雄擔任外籍教師。居住了七年多,Jeff 慢慢地發覺高雄不只是適合教學工作,更是一個具有有趣文化,友善市民和美食的好城市。
一直居住在高雄的Jeff,雖然有考慮搬到台灣其他城市生活,也多次造訪過台北、花蓮、墾丁,但是卻因為高雄讓他覺得很舒適,加上好朋友們及女朋友都住在高雄,於是他一住就是七年!空閒時間,Jeff最常去的地方就是壽山,平均一個星期去兩次的他說,爬山不單是可保持身體及心靈健康,到山上還有好心人士供應的養身茶免費喝!
Jeff說在高雄不但可以吃到台灣各式小吃,還有不同國家的美食也都隨手可得。讓他最愛不是釋手的食物其中包括了雞排,芒果冰,和奶皇包。另外,Jeff覺得台灣的木瓜又大又好吃,水果種類也比加拿大更多更美味。
Jeff和許多居住高雄的外籍人士, 都發現許多駕駛人不太遵守交通規則,因此Jeff和朋友們都希望政府能多多推廣及維持交通秩序,讓來到高雄的旅客們玩得無憂無慮。
Jeff覺得和以前比起來,高雄的公園變多變漂亮了!走到各地,也處處可以得到翻譯成英文的資訊,非常方便。談到許多正在發展的建設,例如:高雄巨蛋、捷運,Jeff都由衷地期待,他還說等不及要乘坐捷運了,也期許日後的高雄會更國際化、更便捷。