Author:
Lisa Sullivan (Final Thoughts)
|
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
Date Posted: 15:56:07 08/12/07 Sun
In reply to:
Lisa Sullivan
's message, "Re: Case of Australian national found dead in Chiayi" on 16:20:41 05/03/07 Thu
It has been over a month since I returned to Taiwan. My mother came with me so, thankfully, I didn’t need to travel alone. We actually had a nice trip and I gained the closure I was looking for. I was able to see my friends, get my dog, and say goodbye to my students.
I still have many unanswered questions so I have chosen not to continue my career as an ESL teacher. I have my teaching license in the states so I was able to take a job close to home. I have grown to accept that most of my questions will never be answered. The main connection that my situation has to the death of Elizabeth Bretel is the hospital, St. Martin’s. The same hospital that she was taken to, and ruled her death an accident, is the one that prescribed me with Rohypnol (the date rape drug). I would not recommend this hospital to anyone.
According to my Taiwanese friends, there is indeed Mafia in Chiayi. It would have been pretty hard for me to have gotten involved unless someone I knew put out a hit on me. I still believe that someone was coming into my apartment when I wasn’t home. Looking back, I know that the things moved in my apartment were defiantly not the act of my dog. I did inform the school of this occurrence and I can only speculate why they felt it necessary to take me to a hospital, instead of the police.
I believe that I am alive today because I fought hard. I followed my instincts and refused to stay in my apartment alone after the break-ins. I also knew about Elizabeth’s story, so I was even more cautious. Regardless, I can’t help but wonder…..if I had been found dead, would the hospital, doctors, or school have been held responsible? Probably not.
Taiwan is a beautiful country with many great people. I would never discourage anyone from going there to teach. I truly felt safe for most of my stay. What we must understand from all of this though, is that, when we live as visitors in a foreign country, the police, doctors, and officials may not always have our best interests at heart.
It is important for our stories to be told so that the same things do not keep happening to other girls. Below is my advice for anyone interested in teaching overseas:
1) If at all possible, don’t go alone. Find a friend or significant other who is also interested in teaching overseas and stick together.
2) Designate one person who you trust 100% to be your emergency contact in Taiwan. Give them the number to your family back home and ask them to call if your behavior becomes unusual or you turn up missing from work.
3) Make sure your family back home knows who this person is, and only takes information from them or yourself. If someone else calls them (the school, hospital, other friends, etc.) make sure your family asks to speak with you or your emergency contact to verify any information.
4) Be especially careful with personal information such as passwords, home addresses, etc. Ask the school to keep this information confidential. People in Taiwan do not always practice the same privacy laws we are used to in North America.
5) Be careful what you put into your body. Taiwanese doctors tend to over prescribe. The first doctor I visited gave me an extremely heavy steroid for a simple cold. I still have no idea what other pills were in the mystery pack I was given.
6) Follow your instincts. If you don’t feel safe, it is probably for a good reason. Don’t let anyone tell you that you are crazy or imagining things if you suspect someone has been coming into your home. Change your locks, go to the police yourself, and consider moving.
Best of Luck!
Lisa
[
Next Thread |
Previous Thread |
Next Message |
Previous Message
]
|
