A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:
In this episode of Talking Taiwan, I’m speaking with Brian Foden. We’re welcoming Brian back on as a guest after discovering his lost episode that was recorded 10 years ago. Originally from Canada, he’s been living in Taiwan for over 20 years now. We spoke about what Taiwan was like when he first arrived, how it’s changed and what life is like for him these days. Brian is a writer/editor and part-time newscaster at ICRT.
Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:
- When Brian arrived in Taiwan
- How life is like in Taiwan now that the government has switched away from a zero-COVID strategy
- What life was like in the early period of the pandemic when Taiwan had no local COVID cases
- How Brian manages working remotely and in-person at the office
- Brian started working at ICRT in May of 2000 and worked there full-time until 2004
- Brian’s position as morning show news producer at ICRT
- How Brian left ICRT in 2004 and returned in 2012
- Brian’s work as a news reader at ICRT
- Brian’s background in journalism
- Comparing winters in Regina, Saskatchewan and in Ottawa, Ontario
- How Brian ended up in Taiwan
- How Taiwan has changed in the time that Brian has lived there
- Chen Shui-bian was elected President around the time that Brian moved to Taiwan; it was the first time that a Democratic Progressive Party candidate had been elected President in Taiwan
- The development of Taiwan’s MRT system
- The popularity of English learning magazines in Taiwan
- How ICRT has changed over the years
- The podcast series Rick Monday made about ICRT (Radioactive Taiwan)
- The glory days of ICRT and the impact it made on Taiwan’s culture and society in the 1980s
- How Brian first got his job at ICRT in 2000
- Brian’s advice for anyone considering living and working in Taiwan
- The type of writing Brian does for work
- What Brian found difficult about journalism
Related Links:
CORONAVIRUS/Pharmacists group critical of low rapid test deliveries for weekend (an article from Focus Taiwan): https://focustaiwan.tw/society/202204290016
Saliva rapid test kits now on sale at pharmacy chains in Taiwan (an article from Taiwan News): https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4535548
Regina, Saskatchewan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regina,_Saskatchewan
Ottawa, Ontario: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ottawa
Nanaimo, British Columbia: https://www.nanaimo.ca/
1997 Asian financial crisis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1997_Asian_financial_crisis
https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/asian-financial-crisis
https://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/fandd/1998/06/imfstaff.htm
https://www.britannica.com/event/Asian-financial-crisis
Chen Shui-bian: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chen_Shui-bian
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Progressive_Party
Kuomintang (KMT): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kuomintang
Lien Chan: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lien_Chan
James Soong: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Soong
Ma Ying-jeou: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Ying-jeou
President Tsai Ing-wen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsai_Ing-wen
Taipei MRT system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_Metro
Let’s Talk in English magazine: https://lt.studioclassroom.com/
Making Money on English Magazines: As Easy as ABC?: https://www.taiwan-panorama.com/en/Articles/Details?Guid=74c48a3a-ad14-4c2c-aee5-1a591539ccb8&CatId=9&postname=Making%20Money%20on%20English%20Magazines:%20As%20Easy%20as%20ABC?
ICRT (International Community Radio Taipei): https://www.icrt.com.tw/
Radioactive Taiwan podcast: https://report.tw/radioactive/?fbclid=IwAR1M-5CeycHifjhwf-ptU2NcRRPyQmKAH-DR7Q5fBjEAMe161BtuTuJZUCE
Chiang Kai-shek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiang_Kai-shek
Richard Wang Announcer of Taiwan Baseball Games: First Pro Sports Since Covid-19 Pandemic (Episode 77): https://talkingtaiwan.com/richard-wang-announcer-of-taiwan-baseball-games-ep-77/
Understanding the History of Taiwan through Dr. Jerome Keating (Episode 97): https://talkingtaiwan.com/understanding-the-history-of-taiwan-through-dr-jerome-keating-ep-97/
Taiwan’s Response to the Coronavirus: An Interview with Dr. Brian Chang (Episode 70): https://talkingtaiwan.com/