Dear MeiGui;
Not only are my local colleagues making my experience as an English school teacher a misery, but so are the other foreign teachers. I’ve only been here for three months, and already want to go back to Vancouver.

It all started at a “getting-to-know-you” party in October. I told some of the other teachers about the time I posed in a men’s magazine during university. My co-teachers were pretty curious, and begged me to bring some pictures into work; which I foolishly did.

Since then, everyone’s been looking down their noses at me – especially the foreign guys. They say exposing my nude pictures to staff members has upset the local girls’ cultural sensibilities, and that I should’ve kept this information private. So now everybody’s ignoring me.

Then a few days ago, one of the local girls brought in photos of herself that she had professionally shot for the cost of 50,000 Taiwan dollars. She openly showed all the teachers pictures of herself in the nude; and was quite proud may I add.

I don’t get it. What’s the difference between her snaps and mine?
— Revealed in Pingdong

Dear Revealed;
The difference, beyond certain proportions, is that you were paid and she wasn’t; and you probably actually resemble your photos in real life.

That said; it is a common practice for local girls to have these “remembrance of youth” photo albums done. Then when they become an “o-ba-sung” – middle-aged married mother – they can use the album to remember their youthful beauty.
— Size does matter, MeiGui