Todd Sandel's Blog from Macau

I've been busy the past couple of weeks trying to find a suitable and affordable apartment in Macau. When I came for my job interview June, 2011, I was led to believe rents were not that expensive. But, the situation is not what I expected. Yes, there are plenty of jobs here in Macau and business is booming. But that also means there is great demand for housing as many people are moving here. So after looking at 3 bedroom apartments, and not finding anything that I felt reasonably priced, I decided a two-bedroom would have to make do. On Saturday morning I found one that had some nice features to it: good location, near shopping, the university, and bus stops, next to a wooded hill, fully furnished, and the back door opens to a private access rather large balcony that is on the roof of the building (even though it is on the ground floor, if you can imagine that. Hint: the building is built into a hill.) I paid the deposit on Saturday and will sign the lease for one year with the ow...

It's been a busy week for me in Macau. I completed and turned in a document that has the "Methods" section for research activities I plan to carry out this year with support from a Univ of Macau grant. Then I learned that I had to turn in another form to recruit and advise PhD students. I finished that this week. On Friday, a potential student came to me and asked if I'd be her sponsor. So that was fast! Fortunately she is a journalist and teacher and does not need funding. That means I can supervise both her and one other funded student. I'm also preparing documents for my work permit, and my daughter's stay permit. And finally, I went to my first Cantonese language class on Wednesday. I've signed up for a 30 hour class that meets Monday and Wednesday evenings. My first impression is that the teacher is good and course materials helpful. I hope to gain a basic knowledge and then improve my speaking and listening ability on my own. I'm preparing to r...

I was watching the Presidential election in Taiwan with interest these past months. While my sympathies were with Tsai Ing-wen, I thought that Ma Ying-jeou would probably be re-elected. While he did not do all that he promised 4 years ago (what politician can claim that), and he seemed too close to China, my sense is that he did not do a bad job. Certainly the opening of direct flights with China, greater academic exchanges, tourism, etc., are positives. Taiwan's economy is very much connected with China and needs to be given space to grow in that way. Politically, however, the people of Taiwan are not interested in being ruled from Beijing. Most see themselves as "Taiwan Ren 台灣人" first, and some sort of cultural Chinese "Hua Ren 華人" second (or perhaps third). Taiwan does not see Beijing as the center, and I doubt that will change for this or the next generation. Tsai Ing-wen ran a great campaign and projected a professionalism and vision for Taiwan that was pos...