Day 3: MY ARRIVAL IN TAIPEI
Written by Renee
Date: July 6, 2008
Written by Renee
Date: July 6, 2008
Nineteen hours and counting... 6 hours... 2 hours...
"Fasten your seat belts we are beginning our descent. We will be arriving in Taipei
International Airport in approximately 25 minutes.
Please keep your seat belts fastened until the seat belts signs have been turned off."
So I am in Taipei!!! I can't believe it... I am in Taipei. I still can't believe it. The night I arrived was cool but still nowhere near the Winter I left behind in Canada.
I knew the agency would be sending someone to pick me up but the welcome I got was completely unexpected:
The driver in the airport was a beautiful pale faced, Asian lady named Monica. She was holding up my name on a sheet of paper.
It was so cool. And she knew exactly who I was as soon as soon as I stepped out of the baggage collection.
Of course, it felt like I was the only non-Asian in the whole universe at that point.
But after the culture shock, I realized it was better than I thought. People in the airport came up to me asking for pictures and autographs like I was some huge Hollywood celebrity. It was kind of cool because I had no idea what half of them were saying.Ni-hoa...( pronounced ni/how) and Shie-shie (pronounced shay-shay). I soon learned it was "hello" and "thank you" in Chinese.
I got out to the parking lot and there was a fancy Lincoln town limo waiting and 3 men helping me with my bags.
It was a sweet joy ride to my apartment. Huge temples and crazy drivers and horns honking and food stands the whole way home. It was a packed house: Eight models, and four bedrooms. You think it's glamorous huh? Not a chance. It was sub-standard but it was still exciting to be there.
Six of the 8 models were Canadian; never have I seen that many in an outside market before. It was so nice to see. But one thing that was obvious: I was probably going to be the only Black Canadian model in the country.
No other agency in the State of Taipei or the county of Taiwan had ever represented a Black model before PT Models. And to date, no one ever has.
PT Models scouted me through Norwayne (NAM Owner) in Toronto, and invited me on a three month contract all expenses paid to Taipei. Clearly I accepted, but the profound affect it was going to have on the market I had not anticipated.
My first day, I met my bookers: Vivi, Amber, and Cat. Justine and Jessie were the two "big dogs" of the agency. They were so happy to have me, as was I to be there.
It was, of course, a big undertaking for them to have the only black girl in circulation, in all of Taipei, but they, as well as I, were up for the the challenge.
I went to see clients everyday starting at 10am. What came as a surprise to me was we were taken to all our appointments together, and the bookers came with us.
You see in Taipei, very rarely do the clients or photographers speak English.
Our bookers spoke for us and we stood there and pretty much just looked pretty. It was nuts. And then they asked me to pose.
"Pose? For what?" I thought. They had my book, they see me... what the heck for? Then I starting posing like they were taking pretend pictures. They said "Big Pose" and I had to pose like I was in the circus. Then they said "Natural pose" and then I posed like I wasn't even posing at all. I couldn't believe how ridiculous I felt.
To my surprise when we got back to the agency I found out.... I actually booked the job.
They said "never before has a booking ever come in for a Black girl in her first week on her first try." WOW!!! That's wicked.
Please keep your seat belts fastened until the seat belts signs have been turned off."
So I am in Taipei!!! I can't believe it... I am in Taipei. I still can't believe it. The night I arrived was cool but still nowhere near the Winter I left behind in Canada.
I knew the agency would be sending someone to pick me up but the welcome I got was completely unexpected:
The driver in the airport was a beautiful pale faced, Asian lady named Monica. She was holding up my name on a sheet of paper.
It was so cool. And she knew exactly who I was as soon as soon as I stepped out of the baggage collection.
Of course, it felt like I was the only non-Asian in the whole universe at that point.
But after the culture shock, I realized it was better than I thought. People in the airport came up to me asking for pictures and autographs like I was some huge Hollywood celebrity. It was kind of cool because I had no idea what half of them were saying.Ni-hoa...( pronounced ni/how) and Shie-shie (pronounced shay-shay). I soon learned it was "hello" and "thank you" in Chinese.
I got out to the parking lot and there was a fancy Lincoln town limo waiting and 3 men helping me with my bags.
It was a sweet joy ride to my apartment. Huge temples and crazy drivers and horns honking and food stands the whole way home. It was a packed house: Eight models, and four bedrooms. You think it's glamorous huh? Not a chance. It was sub-standard but it was still exciting to be there.
Six of the 8 models were Canadian; never have I seen that many in an outside market before. It was so nice to see. But one thing that was obvious: I was probably going to be the only Black Canadian model in the country.
No other agency in the State of Taipei or the county of Taiwan had ever represented a Black model before PT Models. And to date, no one ever has.
PT Models scouted me through Norwayne (NAM Owner) in Toronto, and invited me on a three month contract all expenses paid to Taipei. Clearly I accepted, but the profound affect it was going to have on the market I had not anticipated.
My first day, I met my bookers: Vivi, Amber, and Cat. Justine and Jessie were the two "big dogs" of the agency. They were so happy to have me, as was I to be there.
It was, of course, a big undertaking for them to have the only black girl in circulation, in all of Taipei, but they, as well as I, were up for the the challenge.
I went to see clients everyday starting at 10am. What came as a surprise to me was we were taken to all our appointments together, and the bookers came with us.
You see in Taipei, very rarely do the clients or photographers speak English.
Our bookers spoke for us and we stood there and pretty much just looked pretty. It was nuts. And then they asked me to pose.
"Pose? For what?" I thought. They had my book, they see me... what the heck for? Then I starting posing like they were taking pretend pictures. They said "Big Pose" and I had to pose like I was in the circus. Then they said "Natural pose" and then I posed like I wasn't even posing at all. I couldn't believe how ridiculous I felt.
To my surprise when we got back to the agency I found out.... I actually booked the job.
They said "never before has a booking ever come in for a Black girl in her first week on her first try." WOW!!! That's wicked.