I was recently asked by a member of the Canadian Alumni Network in Taiwan to help by providing a write-up for their next Homecoming event. The idea of the write-up is to introduce myself, my education, my experiences in Taiwan and how my Canadian life has affected it, and anything else seemingly worthy of adding. I think there should be two submissions from each Canadian university. So here's mine.

I tote a different story from many returning Taiwanese in that I’m not really “returning”. Born and raised in Canada to Taiwanese parents, I did both undergraduate and graduate studies at SFU in Engineering. After 3.5 great years at Spectrum Signal Processing, Inc as a Systems Engineer / FAE, it was time to move on. My decision to come to Taiwan was an amalgamation of wanting to find my roots, improve my Chinese, get more worldly experience, and ride a wave in the technology industry that saw many engineers get rich. Closing in on 3 years since my coming to Taiwan, I've achieved 3 of 4 goals. You guess which 3. I'll give you a hint: I still scooter to work.

Employed at [Employer] in Hsinchu's Science Park, my title is Senior Engineer (which means very little). While I don't usually don headwear, I wear a lot of different hats at work. Aside from earlier responsibilities of doing FAE work, Verification Team consultant, publications, and giving internal and external training, I've made a recent diversion to lead our department's marketing efforts. It's been an exciting change for me, and a welcomed challenge. So, I'm looking forward to the next little while before I one day return to Vancouver.

Having a Canadian upbringing sets me apart from those around me in that my eyes are wider open. Like many experiences, having lived in or been in a different country gives you another thing to add to your portfolio of life. And for this, I've made an effort to travel to more Asian countries while staying in Taiwan. My background also encourages me to do things differently, bring creativity to work, and stand my ground on my decisions – even if it means going against my boss. Having English as a first language is always helpful too when dealing with international affairs.

In contrast, my experiences in Taiwan have humbled me. Here I've come to understand Taiwanese people and culture more (that includes understanding my parents more, as well). I've also learned that not all Taiwanese are wealthy like those who've immigrated to Canada. Living in Hsinchu, I lead a modest lifestyle. There's nothing fancy about this city, and certainly nothing fancy about living in a small 套房. But as far as I'm concerned, this is character building.

There are definitely advantages to being a CBC in Taiwan; though that hasn't saved me from getting scootering tickets. In fact, I even got scolded by a Taipei police officer as I pretended not to speak any Chinese when he was writing me a ticket. Well, you win some, you lose some.