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Nankan Hess Kindergarten and Bushiban is situated on 187 Zhong Shan Rd. Nankan, about 40km or 40 minutes south west of Taipei, and less than 20 min. from Chang Kai Shek International Airport. Nine NST’s (Native Speaking Teachers), 14 HRT’s (Home Room Teachers), 5 full-time and 4 part-time CT’s (Chinese Teachers) work at this branch, teaching Kindergarten, Tree House, Step Ahead , Kids Club, Junior High and PG. Our nearest sister schools are located in Tao Yuan City, namely Tao Yuan Kindergarten and the Zhong Jen and Ximen branches. |
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| Nankan has a population of almost 120,000 people. Use of English is not very widespread, but don’t be surprised if someone materialises out of a crowd and asks (in perfectly articulated English) if you need any help explaining to the shopkeeper that you need a specific blanket in a darker shade of blue. Nankan is part of Tao Yuan County, Luju Township, but for all intents Tao Yuan City is the center of activity. |
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| The hallway corridor of our bushiban classrooms. |
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| Important Sites |
| Bills are paid at your local 7-11 (open 24hrs) making utility payments very easy. If you forget to pay on time, you have to go to the specific government building and settle it there, a big hassle. There are two post offices, and the cashiers speak English, so posting parcels is no big problem. What is a problem is that they are open during the times you are teaching, and only till 12 on Saturdays. The Tax office is located in Tao Yuan City; you will only need to go there once a year to file your taxes. One can get an appreciable amount back; it is definitely worth the effort |
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| Getting Around |
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A scooter is almost a necessity for travel within Nankan; taxi fare is relatively cheap but can be expensive in the long run. A bus trip to Taipei will set you back NT$50 (about $1.60 US). You can take the bus from the local McDonalds every 5 to 15 minutes, it will drop you off at Minchuan West Road Station (Red Line of the MRT), 3 stops from Taipei Main Station. MRT fare is about NT$25 to NT$50, depending on how far you need to go. The English representations of the Chinese street names are often spelt differently, if at all. You will slowly learn to recognize the Chinese symbols of streets you use frequently. No one uses pinyin, so don’t show a taxi driver an English address, they won’t understand what you want. Ask a Chinese person to write the Chinese characters, or learn how to say it properly (not an easy task). |
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| Commuting with the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) is comfortable and convenient. |
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| Local Attractions and Entertainment |
| Nankan’s biggest claim to fame is without doubt the Taimall, about a 5 minute scooter ride from our branch. With go-kart racing, rock climbing, an arcade game center, movie theatres, many Chinese and western style restaurants and a plethora of clothing stores, it is a great place to unwind. NST’s usually have lunch on Fridays at Winners on the 5th floor. Night life in Nankan is not exactly a hub of social activity, but there are great bars such as Ditto Bar and 95 Bar, the second of which just recently started serving great hamburgers – thanks to their Canadian chef Brett. Tao Yuan City (NT$200 Taxi Fare or 20 minutes by scooter) offers more bars and a clubbing scene, which is admittedly a little seedy. KTV (Karaoke) is immense fun, and is one of the many essential Taiwan experiences. There are many street stalls that offer delicacies from tofu to chicken hearts on a stick. For people with weak stomachs this is probably not a good idea, but for all you others, these can be cheap and delicious places to eat. |
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| Housing |
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Compared to most western countries, apartments here are cheap to rent. 1, 2 or 3 bedroom apartments are commonly available, furnished and unfurnished. For a three bedroom apartment, one can expect to pay NT$9,000 a month for unfurnished and up to NT$25,000 furnished, but typically the price is around NT$12,000, excluding a guard fee, water, electricity and gas which will add up to about NT$2,000 to NT$3,000 a month. Gas you ask? Cooking and hot water are provided by propane tanks that need replacing every so often. |
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| Taipei BinChen. Half our NST's live here. You could be living here too! |
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| Nankan Kindergarten and Language School |
No. 187 Zhong Shan Rd. Nankan 235
Phone: 03-212-0908 |
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