Hello, this is
BORDERLESS HOUSE in Taipei!
We have a tenant from France who currently stays at BORDERLESS HOUSE TAIPEI. He has a good relationship not only with his housemates but also with BORDERLESS HOUSE staff.
He joins many events which held by BORDERLESS HOUSE and made a lot of friends here. Sometimes he shares his life in Taiwan with us, it seems he really enjoys his living here.
Today we would like to have a long interview with him and let him share his joyful experience to more people!
-First, please introduce yourself!!
Hi, my name is Samuel. I come from France. I’m 27 years old. After graduation from business school, and before coming to Taiwan, I worked 3 years in Paris, as a consultant in Digital Marketing. I like sport, all kinds, and most specially basketball, which I practice since I’m child. During my free time, I am also watching series and movies, and go hanging out with my friends.
(Samuel joined Taiwan’s National Day celebration.)
-What reason bring you to Taiwan? And what is your main purpose to come here?
When I was at University I met few Taiwanese people. We then became really good friends but unfortunately they had to go back to Taiwan and I found a job in Paris. Three years later I decided to have a new experience and come live in Asia. Taiwan was then an obvious choice for me. Also because I heard a lot of good things about this island. I am so glad to be there. I am currently learning Chinese at Chinese culture university in Taipei, and hope to find a job here later and settle down for few more years maybe.
(Samuel came to Taiwan for meeting Taiwanese friends and learning Mandarin. He attended a global culture program as an ambassador of culture exchange. He has taught Taiwanese children French in an elementary school!)
-How long have you been here so far? Please share your life during your stay in Taiwan with everyone!
Time flies… I have been here for six months already. I really enjoyed it so far. It’s so different than France. I discover many things. I think the life in Taiwan is easy and convenient. It’s also a good start for westerners in Asia. Weekdays I go to school to study Chinese, on weekend and holidays I take time to visit Taiwan. I already went to many places: Hualien, Taidung, Ludao, Tainan, Taichung… I like to go around Taipei, sightseeing, hiking or just relaxing at the beach. There is so much to do here! I also practice Tai Chi (太極) since few months ago, which is a way for me to discover more about Asian cultures. As sport lover, I also go running around Da’an park and play basketball with my roommates. There are many places to play basketball and it’s a good way to meet Taiwanese people.
(Samuel has traveled a lot and has visited many beautiful places in Taiwan.)
-Speaking of Taiwan, what is the most attractive point for you?
As I said, Taiwan has a good … in France. Before I came I heard many good things about here. Compare to China, cities in Taiwan are smaller and life is probably less stressful. I confirm it is good living in Taiwan for foreigners. I think people are nice, helpful and open-minded. Life is not too expensive, and very convenient. There are shops open 24 hours and restaurants or street stands everywhere. You should try the night markets! Moreover, you can go wherever you want very quickly, nice to travel around!
(Samuel loves Taiwanese people and the environment so much. He deeply experienced the local life here.)
-Is there anything which is difficult or tough for you to live in Taiwan?
First, of course the language barrier, especially in restaurants. It is difficult to find someone who speak English there, and as the food is so different than what we are used to in France, it was sometimes tough for me. I also needed to get adapted to the weather here, very hot during summer, and often wet. I never saw so much rain.
-Then let’s talk about your life in BORDERLESS HOUSE! How do you like your life here? Could you share us your daily life in a share house?
It’s great!! It’s really great! I felt like home from the first day. The atmosphere is very friendly and warm. Despite the different cultures and numbers of people living all together, everything is going well. I usually like to have many people around me, which make me really happy here! We often chat on the common area, having dinner together or maybe some drinks. Taking care to each other, as family. I feel I’m so lucky to have my housemates, really! And of course it also a good way for me to practice Chinese as half of tenants is Taiwanese and most of other also learn Chinese.
(The atmosphere in BORDERLESS HOUSE is very friendly and warm which makes Samuel joyful.)
-So why do you choose BORDERLESS HOUSE in the first beginning? And how do you find BORDERLESS HOUSE?
I was looking for a shared house in Taipei and I thought the concept offered by BORDERLESS HOUSE is really interesting. It was a good opportunity for me to live with locals which is not always easy to find when you don’t speak the main language. And I think it was a both easy and secure way to find a house in another country. The staff replied me very quickly and were so nice to me. I found BORDERLESS HOUSE with Taiwanese portal site called 591.
(Samuel with BORDERLESS HOUSE staff. He thinks staffs are very helpful for anything needed, if something happened in the house also in tenants’ daily life.)
-What was the best part and the most impressive thing that happened during your stay in Borderless House?
It is very important for me to have a comfortable place to live. Which I found thanks to BORDERLESS HOUSE. I feel lucky to have such nice people around me. My stay here made the experience much more valuable and memorable for sure!
-You joined many events which held by BORDERLESS HOUSE, like board game event and Halloween party! And you’ve just came back from Tokyo with our Free House Exchange Program!
Yes, I am always willing to participate to events organized by BORDERLESS HOUSE. It’s an opportunity to meet people, and it’s always lot of fun! We usually share similar values and as we all live in BORDERLESS HOUSE, I think it makes the first contact easier. I really enjoyed my stay in Tokyo. Thanks to the exchange program, this make my trip cheaper and much easier as well. I was also very happy to meet other tenants there. We shared a lot about our past experiences, at BORDERLESS HOUSE, in our respective city, and before.
(Samuel joined BORDERLESS HOUSE picnic event in summer and Halloween event.)
-With your experience, could you kindly give some advice to those who are considering to come to Taiwan or who is going to move to Taipei soon?
First I would say “don’t hesitate, Taiwan is definitely a good choice”. I also deeply recommend them to consider BORDERLESS HOUSE. I know sometimes sharing room could be a barrier for some, but really this accommodation is great, and the houses are big enough to have your own space. Also, staffs are very helpful for anything we need, if something happened in the house and also in our daily life.
(Samuel also joined our Tenant’s only*Free House Exchange Program to got to Tokyo.)
Thank you very much for Samuel’s sharing!
We hope every one who come to Taiwan can have a great time and enjoy the life every day here like Samuel!
Check BORDERLESS HOUSE in Taipei>>
http://www.borderless-house.com/tw/all/
Check Tenant’s only Program>>
Free House Exchange
http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange/
Language Exchange
http://www.borderless-house.com/languageexchange/ 
(Ran is a left one ^^ with Fuji Mountain and his new roommates)
Q1. How was your exchange?
My trip was great. Last time I was in Japan I was mostly limited to one area. This time I used the money saved on housing to purchase a JR Pass. I started my trip in Sapporo Hokkaido. I stayed there for a couple of nights before taking a sleeper bus to Hakodate. The next morning my JR Pass started and I took the Shinkansen to Tokyo to start my stay in the share house. From Tokyo I was able to travel to Nikko, Kiso Valley, Kofu, Kyoto/Nara, Kaurizawa, Niigata, and Fujigoko mostly to go hiking. Coming from the sweaty jungles of Taiwan, It was really refreshing to be able to breathe the cool air and see all the autumn colors.
Q2.What is the most memorable episode?
Going up Mt. Mitutouge/Kinashiyama with my housemates. From the side we started on the hike was supposed to be around 3-4 km to the top with an ascent of 1700m. It was an exhausting few hours to make it to the top. But the view of Mt. Fuji and the surrounding area was worth it. By the time we made it down the other side the sun was setting.
Q3. Do you have any comments who consider?
My housemates were a fun bunch to talk to and made my trip more enjoyable. I really do wish I was able to stay longer than the week and a half I was there.
Let’s see photos he shared below!!
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(Hakodate)
(Sapporo)
(Tokyo Dome)
(Nara with cute deer)
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He went to so many places during his trip in Japan! And which also make us feel very happy and very enjoyable when we read his wonderful sharing!
He used the money saved on housing to purchase a JR Pass which makes us feel very glad that we could support our tenants’ trip.
Free House Exchange program can provide more opportunities for our tenants to meet and stay with local people in the country and have a real cultural experience!!
Since our houses are in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, you can stay one of our houses for FREE!!
✫ If you are interested in our program, please don’t feel hesitate to join the program!
http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange/houseexchange_form/
✫ You can check the details of this program on our website blow.
http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange/ 
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Q1. How was your trip?
My trip to Japan was great! I spent a week in Tokyo traveling around to my favorite places and visiting friends I made when I studied abroad in Japan last year. Living in a Borderless House in Japan allowed me to make new friends and explore some new parts of Tokyo that I had never visited before.
Q2.What is the most memorable episode?
Even though I was only in Japan for a week, I had the chance to go out with my housemates to a local okonomiyaki restaurant. Okonomiyaki is one of my favorite Japanese foods, so I was very happy that I got to eat such delicious local food while getting to know other Borderless House residents. Some of my housemates had never visited America or Taiwan, so it was fun to share our stories and experiences.
Q3.How do you feel about the Free House Exchange program?
I would recommend the Borderless House Exchange program to anyone interested in travel. I think it’s the best way to have a great living arrangement while visiting an unfamiliar country, and a good way to make friends with both local and other international people who have similar interests.
Q4. How do you feel after you decided to go Japan again?
I was very grateful to have the opportunity to go back to Japan and visit all my favorite places again. If it weren’t for the Borderless House Exchange program, I might not have been able to find a way to visit Japan. If I have another chance to travel while I’m living in Borderless House, I would definitely consider the House Exchange program again.
(She sent us so many food pics haha)
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I am also very happy that she can go visiting Tokyo again, Free House Exchange program can provide more opportunities for our tenants to meet and stay with local people in the country and have a real cultural experience!!
Since our houses are in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea, you can stay one of our houses for FREE!!
✫ If you are interested in our program, please don’t feel hesitate to join the program!
http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange/houseexchange_form/
✫ You can check the details of this program on our website blow.
http://www.borderless-house.com/houseexchange/ 
If you want to 
We normally match a tenant to other tenant for Language Exchange.
But this time, we had a chance to work together with Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link!
So we are going to participate one of their famous and important program
holding for adoptees, ‘Motherland Tour’ and also,
we are going to match our tenants who are interested in Language Exchange
to their members who are interested in this program either.
Before sharing this wonderful experience with Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link,
we would like to introduce this organization briefly to all of you.
Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link (G.O.A.’L) is an organization founded in Seoul, South Korea.
Since it is founded by Adoptee and founded for Adoptee,
they are offering many services for adoptee who is searching for their birth family
such as Birth family search assistance/ translation & interpretation,
visa procedure and Social gathering etc.
And this time, we had an orientation for Language Exchange Program
between our tenant Minkyeong and Ellyn from Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link.
Minkyeong is currently staying in one of share houses in Borderless,
and Ellyn is from USA and currently working as a English teacher in Seoul.
Minkyeong has an experience of staying in USA for her exchange semester in University,
so they had conversation to share their experience of staying in USA.
Also, Ellyn had shared her hilarious experience in Seoul for us.
It was their first time to meet each other, but there were so friendly!
They had about 3 hours of orientation in Borderless House Seoul office,
and they said they will have a dinner together in a few days.
We hope them improve their language skill and be a good friend for each other!
In the beginning of the party, we ate and drank. Let’s get ready to play games 😀
Here are all cute members who joined our event!!
After picnic time, every member had got to know each other.
Then, our first game is coming~~~
Next game~!!! Do you know what were they making?
a
( The answer is ” Taipei 101″ !!! )
Last game was our group activity!! Let’s hold our hand and “get the electric shock”!!!
Reward for Winners!!! Congratulations !!!
All of Borderless House staffs are really appreciate everyone who enjoyed our event!! We couldn’t have such a nice picnic event without you!!
All participants had enjoyed to talk with people from other houses during whole event!
You can meet with and make friends with a lot of people from other houses in our event!
Why not live in our share house and make friends with Taiwanese and people from all over the world!
International share house in Taipei – BORDERLESS HOUSE TAIPEI
There are many types of houses in Taipei.
※We will upload regarding the house type later.
If you would like to live by yourself, it would cost around 8,000 NTD-15,000 NTD in general. You can find the house which would cost around 5,000 NTD/month but I recommend you the house over 8,000 NTD thinking about the cleaness and difficulties of negotiation with Taiwanese landlord.
About the rent for living in BORDERLESS HOUSE, the information is as below 😉
-Private room: 12,500~15,000 NTD
-2 Females room: 9,000~9,500 NTD
-2 Males room: 9,000~9,500 NTD
-3 Females room: 7,900~8,800 NTD
-3 Males room: 7,900~8,800 NTD
-4 Females room: 6,900~7,900 NTD
-6 Females room: 6,700 NTD
You can get more information by setting 
The electricity fee is expensive in Taipei. It exceeds 1,000 NTD/month in summer period.
Water is cheaper and it costs around 200-300 NTD/month.
If your house has a kitchen, gas fee costs around 200-300 NTD/month.
In Borderless House, utility fee is 800 NTD/month including electricity, water, TV, gas and internet fee! (The electric power consumption in summer period would be high, so utility fee for May. to Oct. will be 1,200 NTD.)
If you install the internet in your house, it costs around 1,000 NTD/month. (Some landlords kindly include internet fee into the rent.)
You can use tethering by your cell phone and it costs around 800 NTD/month. But some tenants just buy a prepaid card in order to save money and you can get it in around 300NTD.
The tansportation system in Taipei is very convenient and cheap. An one-way metro ticket for the Taipei Metro (MRT) within Taipei City costs about 20NTD. There are also rental bikes (called “U-bikes”)
provided by the city where the first 30min costs 5NTD. As you can see you won’t spend much money on transportation.
Initial costs for daily toiletries such as toilet paper, hair shampoo and hair conditioner might be high but once you have them you will get along with the above mentioned amount of money.
Moreover, in some drug stores there are special offers where you get two products for a price of one, so again, sharing with your housemate will help you safe money!
■Leisure Activities
