In May as ties between Taiwan and Macedonia became increasingly shaky, Skopje-based Taiwanese diplomats frequently holed up in their embassy for last-hour trouble-shooting sessions, drawing grumbles from their Macedonian landlord.
"The landlord said while staffers at the adjacent French embassy finished their work around 3pm to 4pm everyday, staffers in the Taiwanese embassy did not leave the office until midnight. The landlord complained about the situation, saying the rent paid would not be enough to pay for electricity costs in the building," said a foreign ministry official.
But long-working hours are just one of many challenges faced by those who endeavor to secure Taiwan's diplomatic allies.
In the minds of most, one of their biggest difficulties is in dealing with the identity questions, adjustment problems and language barriers that frequently confront their children.
"I've heard of examples in which some of these diplomats' children will find themselves rootless" as they are forced to constantly change their environment because of the nature of their parents' work, said Nancy Du (
Alexander Yui (
"Once I went to visit the home of one of my father's colleagues. His child was born overseas and at the time spent little time in Taiwan. I went to the child's room and saw his assignment in the American School was to write about `my country.' And he wrote, `my country is Spain.' This made me have a deep stirring of emotion and I think it [the lack of a clear identity] is indeed a woeful aspect of being a diplomat's child," Yui said.
Nancy Du also said she used to hear of stories of how her counterparts married locals in the countries their fathers were posted and how these in-laws ended up being unable to communicate with their new family.
"At the end of the day, they probably felt a sense of loss for a rather long time," said the 32-year-old Du, a professional interpreter for Taiwan's delegation to APEC for the past seven years.
As it is often the case that these diplomats' children move frequently from country to country, it's difficult to maintain lasting friendships. Sometimes the question of adaptability can also create problems.
"You get to know the world. You get to know a lot of people and a lot of countries. But you don't get to know them for long. It's hard to maintain a long and steady relationship with anyone as the environment is constantly changing," Yui said.
Yui relocated frequently because of his father's work. At the age of two, Yui moved to Ecuador with his family. Two years later, they moved again to Bolivia.
At 7, he returned to Taiwan, and the next year he was transferred to Colombia where he stayed for the following three years before going to Ecuador. After a year in Ecuador, Yui returned to Taiwan for two years. Later he went to high school in Panama and then to the US for his first and second degrees.
"One is either forced to adapt fairly quickly to the new environment or face becoming self-enclosed or reserved," the 37-year-old diplomat said.
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