Before this GSE trip we did our homework and learned that gift giving is an important part of Taiwanese culture. As such, we spent a lot of time individually and collectively purchasing small gifts to give while here in order to honor this custom. While our gift giving experiences here have largely been positive, we have definitely committed some gift giving faux pas many times.
Allow me to first share just a few good gift giving etiquette tips that we've learned. Give and accept business cards with both hands. Don't shove the business card into your pocket (or at least not in front of the card giver...wait until later). Admire the business card for a few seconds. Especially with respected people, dignitaries, etc. don't give a nicer gift than they give you or give them a gift unexpectedly when they can't reciprocate. When taking photos during gift exchanges (very important part of the process), there are specific places where the giver and receiver need to stand. Give gifts in gift bags it you can- especially red ones (red is a lucky color here). And so much more.
It is said that sometimes we learn best when we are learning for our mistakes. If this is true then our GSE team is becoming experts on this topic. We've definitely committed many errors of gift giving protocol (including many described above plus a few others). We have often felt unsure or ourselves during gift giving situations and sometimes quite embarrassed after some gift exchanges because we totally had a Gift Screw-up Experience. But we've been learning from our mistakes and getting better all the time as we continue to acclimate to Taiwanese culture. Fortunately the Taiwanese people are lighthearted, kind and forgiving, which has helped to make our GSE experience (no matter how you define the acronym) an incredible one.
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