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Sharing your Stories in our Christmas event with our tenants!

Hello everyone! What are you going to do for Christmas? We had a Christmas event with our tenant! We exchanged Christmas presents, shared stories and played Bingo! Everyone was enjoyed and met new friends through this event.

Let’s check it out!

 

Preparing for our Christmas event.

Decorations, food are so important for Christmas! We had the dinner and enjoyed getting to know each other. Everyone was welcoming and friendly!

The most important part of Christmas is gift exchange!

Hope everyone got a nice gift. We also prepared some gift for the winners of Bingo!

Enjoy champagne, cookie or board games with your housemates!

  After the games, it was free time for you guys to talk with anyone! Let’s take pictures, exchange contact information and keep in touch! ^_< Took happy group photos with all participants! Thanks for join us! Hope everyone enjoyed it and join us at our next event! Please check our fanpage on Facebook for more photos! →【Borderless House Facebook Page】←
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Event report: 【Borderless House Christmas Party 2016】 who was the winner of 1 month rent free ticket!?

Hello, this is Chisa from Borderless House. 
 
On 18th of December, we have hosted 【Borderless House X’MAS Party 2016】!!!
We would like to thank everybody for joining us! 
 
This year the party was held based on the theme: “hirogaru, tsunagaru” (directly translated as “binding together and widening”),
meaning it’s an opportunity for all the guests ad friends to get together, 
regardless of nationality, language and which houses the guests are from. 
 
Here is how the event went: 
 
The party was held at an Italian restaurant in Shibuya -the warm and cozy atmosphere welcomed all our guests!
 
We were the MC -thank you all for your patience! 
 
The party began with a warm up game before the toast; “Hi five self introduction game!”
The guests need to do hi five with 3 people when their eyes meet, and introduce themselves 
(name, nationality, which house he/she is from, hobby and etc.)
After the self introduction is done with 3 people, the guests are handed their first drinks and a BINGO card. 
 
The toast was called as follows: “To the many encouters of tonight! Kanpai (=cheers)!”
 
Looks like the guests have warmed up at the first free talk session, 
and are feeling much more comfortable mingling with the ones that just met!
The guests were to fill in the blanks by writing in each others’ names.
 
Then the next game was the highlight of the event: BINGO! 
 
Everybody was all pumped up to become winners! 
After the 7 winners were chosen, there was a lottery to decide which winner is going to win which prize”
 
The guy in the middle won the booby prize…(=a throat coat candy, swabs and a sushi key chain)
 
He won the second prize…(= tickets to Yokohama Cosmo World for 4 people)
 
I hope he can go with all his housemates!
And last but not least, he was the first prize winner! 
 
Congratulations on winning 1 month free rent ticket!!! 
“I will throw a big house party and everybody here is invited!” was the comment he made on the spot 🙂
Let’s look forward to the party then? Omedeto gozaimasu!
 
 
The party ended in a great success, thanks to all our fellow tenants and their friends for joining us!
There was also an after party which half of the guests have gone to! Awesome!
 
We are more than happy that the party became a wonderful opportunity for our tenants from different houses to get to know each other,
and most of all, to have a merry Christmas together! 
 
We hope to see you at the next event! 
Thank you once again to all the guests who made it to the party,
and merry Christmas and a happy new year to all!
 
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FREE HOUSE EXCHANGE Ran Taipei Tokyo

Hi, this is BORDERLESS HOUSE in Taiwan! We want to share that one of our tenants, Ran from BORDERLESS HOUSE TAIPEI have visited Tokyo from November 7 to November 17 for 10 days with House Exchange program. He stayed in BORDERLESS HOUSE Sakurajosui1house. His introduction is below. :;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;:: ☺ Ran’s brief introduction Randall is from America and worked as a food product developer for four years, now he is in Taiwan learning mandarin! He chose to stay in BORDERLESS HOUSE is because he wants to use this opportunity to make some new friends and practice his Mandarin. He also likes to go outside enjoying anything nature!! Let’s see what brought him to attend this program first! Since I needed to renew my visa for Taiwan and this opportunity proves free boarding I figured why not! Coming home to a house full of housemates is also much more fun than returning to an empty hotel/hostel room♥   ✔Let’s check his feedback after he came back from Tokyo!!! :;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:* (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!! ➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤ (Hakodate) (Sapporo) (Tokyo Dome) (Nara with cute deer) ➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤ 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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「What is it like to live in Taiwan?」- Life of Foreign tenant in Taiwan, Taipei

  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/
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What an International Halloween Party!!

We had a Halloween party with our tenants last weekend and it was pretty fun!

Everyone dressed as vampires, zombies, witches and so many characters.

We were having dinner, playing games and dancing together!

What an unforgettable night!

Let’s check it out!

Our tenants started checking in! So excited!

Enjoy the party!

Everyone got a pizza box and free drink!

People from different countries had a Halloween party together!

We had six teams!

Your teammates are from different houses, so you could make more friends!

They were gonna play games and win the reward!

Guess which team was the winner in this struggle?

They were trying to throw off the wig by their head!

Take care, don’t sprain your neck. Haha

Acting like Chinese zombie and trying to tear off the stickers on the other’s body!

Everyone was crazy while playing games. XD

 After the party, everyone exchanged their LIND ID and took group photos!

Hope everyone enjoyed our party!

We’re looking forward to seeing you at our next party.

Thanks for all of you. <3

Group photo with all participants

Lovely Borderless staff.

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FREE HOUSE EXCHANGE Abby Taipei Tokyo

Hi, this is BORDERLESS HOUSE in Taiwan! One of our tenants, Abby from BORDERLESS HOUSE TAIPEI have visited Tokyo from August 31 to September 7 for 8 days with House Exchange program. She stayed in BORDERLESS HOUSE Shimokita1 house.   What brought her to attend this program is because she studied abroad in Tokyo for 11 months last year!! So this summer she wanted to travel to Japan to see her host family and college friends. She also wanted to visit her favorite places and ate her favorite Japanese foods again! Actually, when she left Tokyo last year she thought she would never have the chance to come back, so she thought this is a really special opportunity for her. ♥ Her introduction is below!! (She is so sweet that she gave us her introduction typed both in English and Japanese !)   :;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:* ☺ Abby’s Self-introduction I’m a 22 year old girl from America. I have been studying Japanese for about 4.5 years and would consider myself to be at the advanced level; my Chinese is entirely self-taught and still beginner. I love learning languages, traveling, and talking to people from other countries, so I’m especially excited to live in Borderless House in Taipei while I’m studying in Taiwan! My other interests include reading, watching movies, outdoor activities and horseback riding. ————— 自己紹介させていただきます。22歳のアメリカ人の女性です。 日本語は4年間半くらい勉強していますが、中国語は4月から独学しているのでまだ初心者です。私は他の国の人と交流したり、旅行したりするのが大好きで、特にこれから台北の Borderless House に住むことをとても楽しみにしています！他の趣味は小説を読むことや映画を見ること、アウトドア、乗馬などです。 今度は台湾の留学が始まる前に、私が日本に留学していた頃のホストファミリーと大学の友達に会うために日本に行きたいと思っています。 :;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:*ﾟ:;;::;;:*:;;::;;:* She loves meeting new people from different cultures, after she visited Tokyo again and hanged out while chatting and learning about other tenants’ cultures and languages. We had an interview with her!! Let’s check her feedback after she came back from Tokyo!!! ➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤     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) ➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤➤ 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/
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Interview for David, who enjoyed socializing across the borders of his own house, even with staff!

Hi, This is Kana from the Borderless House marketing team. We interviewed David from Machiya1 House this time! As he became close to the staff members as well, let’s hear his point of view.

“I got open-minded after living in a share house” – What kind of person is he?

– David, what made you come to Japan and to live in share house?

I had Japanese friends originally, and wanted to change my life a little bit. So, I came here last September(2015). This is my forth visit. I was going to Akamonkai, I chose Machiya1 house since it is walk-able distance and near the station. I looked at Oak House too, but this house in Borderless House seemed closer to school and convenient. Then, I decided whether I live in private room or share room, talking with staff. It was my first time for me to live in a share house, but I got open-minded. When you share a house with others, you understand different cultures and have to be kind and aware of helping each others.

“I could make friends in other houses thanks to staff”

– Since you visited our office often, I think you became closer to staff! What’s the staff like to you?

I think the staff is good! They are friendly and good support. Every time I make payment at your office, I talked with staff. (We were surprised that David became more fluent in Japanese every time he comes to office!) When there were problems with Air conditioner or Internet, Borderless House responded in few hours, and fixed soon. Actually, It was me who touched the device for Internet accidentally, though… I joined Halloween Party held by staff last year too, and it was fun. Also, when there were parties at houses near Machiya1 house, one of staff invited me. That’s why I could make friends with people in Machiya2 house and Kitasenju House. It was good that staff helped me in such a way. Though I didn’t talk Japanese so much in here since housemates were good at English, I talked mainly in Japanese with people in Kitasenju House. ▼BBQ with people in Kitasenju House

Perfect house for “people who are not into party but want to talk with people

– What kind of people do you recommend this house to?

Machiya1 house is more for people who are not into party, but want to talk to people, having their own life. This house is perfect for such people. Also, Machiya is really convenient. There are many lines at Machiya station including Chiyoda line, and Machiya1 house is close to station. Besides, there are many food shops in Machiya. By the way, my favorite is “Jirorian(ジロリアン 町屋店)”.(※The ramen shop related to famous ramen chain shops”Jiro”) You can eat a lot with at cheap. ▼Last day at Machiya1 House. Seeing off by a housemate If you want to put importance on living comfortable and having your own life, not only enjoying international exchange, I see Machiya1 House is good environment to live in! Details of Machiya1 House Share House in Ueno, Asakusa, Akihabara area Ask staff to introduce share houses  
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Language Exchange with Global Overseas Adoptees Link

Language Exchange with Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link!

Hello, this is Borderless House Seoul! As you might already know, there are three Tenants-Only Programs only for the tenants who are staying in Borderless House. From those programs, we would like to share one of our latest orientation we had with a member of an organization which is called Global Overseas Adoptees’ Link! 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!

* Tenants Only Program

If you need more information for language exchange program, or if you want to apply for this program, please refer the link from the below for contacting staff of Borderless House! http://www.borderless-house.com/languageexchange/
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Borderless House Picnic Party in Taiwan 2016

It was long overdue!! In this hot summer, BORDERLESS HOUSE in Taipei hold a picnic party event for our tenants on 29th of May, 2016 !!

The first of BORDERLESS HOUSE event in 2016 was picnic at the Huashan Creative Park.

Lots of our tenants from different houses joined us. We also invited people who was interested in making friends from all over the world!! We drank beers, enjoyed tasty food, played games and listened to music. We spent such a wonderful time together. ٩(ˊᗜˋ*)و 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~~~
    We prepared some songs and pictures of movies and anime for our tenants to guess where is the song or character from. Which team will win this game!?!?   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 http://www.borderless-house.com/tw/