What can I say? Six months later and I still haven’t come to terms with my experience from over the summer. Six months later and the memories compiled are filed in the depths of my brain only to be found when convenient. Six months and a few hundred dollars later I find myself fatter due to numerous #6 combos from Mexican restuarants (the drug of choice to preoccupy my mind at times). Six months later and I realize I avoid church when missionaries are scheduled to visit in order to save face. Otherwise I’d be that blubbering sap in the corner donating her life savings for some cause- any cause that promises relief, or become the angsty teenager in the front thinking, “These people, these Americans, they can’t fathom the poverty this guy is describing on the pulpit because they’ve never been surrounded by it.” But all the while I become angry with myself knowing that I have only scratched and sniffed the sticker of poverty.

So what do I do? I often think about the people we met along the way. Did the people at the rally ever get their demands fulfilled? Is Father Paulo still drinking his bright green yerba mate while watching over the seafarers? What about the Overseas Workers we met in Little Manila? I can only assume that they are probably facing the same horrible work conditions, along with thousands of other people around the world. And what ever happened to the people we met in Kaohsiung, the most poignent meeting of our trip?

Sometimes I wonder what was our purpose of going other than to travel to “exotic” lands and to gain experience in field. Personally,  I was hoping to see if my interest in women’s rights could turn into a passion. However, after finishing all of the required work and having plenty of time to mull over the excursion, it only seems fitting to point out the obvious: the study was not solely about me. It was about the interactions we had with people who are placed in difficult situations. The middle of August, which denoted the end of our course as required by our university, is not its ultimate conclusion, instead I now find it obligatory to share my research and experiences with others in order to help those left behind.

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Me (Kelsey): Hi, I am Kelsey by the way.

Kara: Okay, Kathy.

Me: Kathy?

K: Yes.

M: And where are you from?

K: The Philippines.

M: Yes, which part is your family from?

K: Rison.

M: I am not that familiar with the Philippines. How would you describe its location?

K: It’s in the North area,  near, well not so near to the water. Have you been there?

M: No, but I think I have heard of it. We just spent a week in Manila.

K: Ah Manila.

M: Yeah, so on this trip, I am interviewing marriage migrants. I mean, those who come from the Philippines, to Taiwan and get married to a Taiwanese man. And I was wondering, how did you meet your husband?

K: Somebody introduced him to me. He went to the Philippines for a trip and he had a friend there. Yeah, then somebody introduced us.

M: So your husband is Taiwanese?

K: Yeah

M: And he knew a friend from the Philippines?

K: Yes.

M: And was that also a friend of yours?
K: Not exactly, no. My friend knew my husband’s friend. And she knew that he wanted to marry a Filipina.

M: Really? And do you know why he wanted to marry a Filipina?

K: (Chuckles) I don’t know.

M: So how long have you been married?

K: Mm, 16 years.

M: Wow.

K: Yeah in 1994. 16, right? Yeah.

M:  And what were you doing in Manila when you met him? Were you working, maybe studying?

K: I was working.

M: Where did you work?

K:  In a restaurant.

M: And were you a waitress there or a cook?

K: A waitress.

M: So you married him. Where did you get married?

K: We got married in the Philippines.

M: So you came here and you met his family.

K: Yeah.

M : What was your first meeting like?

K: They were nice.

M: Did you know the language before you came?

K: No.

M: No? Hm well, was it difficult to leave your family?

K: Yeah, it was difficult.

M: Do you get to visit them? Or how do you keep in touch?

K: Yeah yeah. In our first, second year of marriage, we went together to there. Then we went once a year after that.

M: Do you have any children?

K: Two. Two boys.

M: How old are they?

K: They are 15, and 13 now. Yeah.

M: And they go to school here?

K: Mhm.

M: Do they speak Filipino?

K:  They do not know Filipino, a little English, but they speak Mandarin.

M: Are they Catholic?

K: Yeah.

M: Are there any other Filipino traits that you try to keep alive in the family?

K: Yeah, I go to church and pray. And nothing else.

M: Do you cook a lot of Filipino food?

K: Yeah, a little

M: Do they eat with chopsticks or fork and spoon?

K: They eat with chopsticks and a spoon.

M: So what do you do at this hostel? What is a normal day for you?

K:  I take care of people checking in and out.

M: And does your husband help?

 K: Oh no, I am a widower.

M: Oh, he passed away?

K: Yes, three years ago.

M: Wow. Three years ago.

K: He died of cancer.

M: Ah, my mother had cancer. I know how hard it can be.  Do you try to carry on the tradition of going back to the Philippines with your boys? 

K: No, I go by myself. They are still studying and they are still studying. We have been planning to go together next year.

M: Will you visit family, tour the islands? What are you planning to do?

K: Yeah, we might travel around.

M: Do they have Filipino passports?

K: Yeah.

M:  Do you also have both passports?

K: Yup, we all do.

M: And so were there any cultural troubles when you first got here?  To me it seems to me that the Filipinos are so much more welcoming than the Taiwanese.  And in Taiwan everything seems so organized but in Manila everyone was trying to squish in the LRT.

K: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

M: So I was wonder what differences you noticed?

K: Between the Philippines and Taiwan? Well, the Philippines is crowded. But here it is not crowded, no traffic. And Taiwanese people seem nice.

M: I guess, especially when you are lost.

K: Yeah, you just ask, and they try to tell you where it is.

M: Did you have any trouble adjusting to the food?

K: Yes of course! I didn’t like the taste of Chinese food before. You know the smell and the taste. I always wanted to cook my own food, but now I like it.

M: Have you tried stinky tofu?

K:  Yeah, I like it now. Before “oh no, I do not like the smell.” But now I like it.

M: I have yet to try it. Perhaps before I leave.

K: Yes, yes. 

M: Does it taste like it smells?

K: Mm no. Yeah.

M: That’s what I am scared of.

K: You’ll have to try.

M:  I am wondering how much Mandarin do you know?

K: Just a little bit.

M: Were there any differences of time that you noticed. It seems to me that Taiwanese always must be on time and in Manila it could be 5 minutes or 10 minutes before you see someone. When you first moved here did you have any problems meeting with people? 

K: No, I don’t think. I always try to be on time.

M: When did you start working at the hostel?

K: Um, I am 1 year

M: What do you do before?

K: I worked in a factory for five years and I also worked as a sales lady selling cell phones, like that.

M: Here?

K: Yeah.

M: Which job do you prefer?

K:Well, I liked interpreting between Filipinos and Taiwanese.

M: What did you interrupt between them?

K: Some times troubles.

M: Do they have many interpreters in the factory?

K: No, just one. Maybe two.

M: Now that you are here, are you thinking about ever going back to the Philippines like to retire?   

K: I would like to go back to my country but I have to wait for my to sons to manage on their own?

M: How did your parents react when you went to Taiwan?

K: Oh yeah, my father. The first  night, I decided to marry my husband, I did not tell them. I go to the province and I say you need to come with me to Manila. I am going to marry. They were like “huh? You never told us you had a boyfriend!” And then my father cried because I was married at 21 like that. It was my own decision.

M: Do you have any brothers or sisters?

K: I have three bothers and two sisters.

M: Do they all live in the Philippines still?

K: Well one brother died when he was younger. One is working in Saudi Arabia and three are back home.

M: Did you go to university when you were in the Philipines?

K: Yeah, I didn’t not finish. Only three months. I did not like to study.

M: And so what Church do you go to here?

K: Well, since I live in Nantze, I go to church there.

M: Oh Nantze. I think we may have gone to the same church then yesterday for mass.

K: Maybe. Sometimes I go to St. Mary’s.

M: Did you go to church a lot back in the Philippines?

K: Mm, not a lot.

M: So why do you go so often here?

K: Well go to Mass and then friends.

M: So it is a place to meet friends?

K: Yeah, sometimes after mass we go party. There are lots of Filipinos in Nantze. Although you might not have seen them because it was raining yesterday.

M: The Church was packed but there were not too many people outside after mass. How did you meet your friends?

K: Most of my friends I have met through party, sometimes at church

M: Are they mostly factory workers?

K: I have factory worker friends and a lot of marriage friends.

M: Do you have parties where you Filipino food?

K : Yeah Saturdays and Sundays.

M:  So the factory workers I know they come and go every 3 years. Is it hard to stay in touch with them after they leave?

K: Yeah. Well some of my friends come back. They come back after a few months in the Philippines.  And a few have not come back. Yeah.

M: Did you ever want to work abroad before you got married?

K: Yeah, I did plan to come here for a while.

M: What did you want to do?

K: Did not matter.

M: You said one of your siblings is working in Saudi Arabia, do you think they will come here or somewhere else like the US?

K: Well, my brother came here for 7 years, and then he tried to go to Saudi Arabia. He will finish this Dec or Nov. But he wants to come back here.

M: What will he do ? A two year visa?

K: I think he will work in factory for three years. He will go to Nantze.

M: SO what do you hope do to do when you go back to the Philippines?

K: I maybe will buy land to farm. To plant and sell rice. Because mostly  where I am from people are farmers. They plant rice. A very big farm.

M: That sounds really nice. Well, I can’t think of any more questions. I want to thank you for your time and your hospitality toward us.  It was nice meeting you.

K:  Yes  You too.

Kelsey- Okay so I am going to start taping now. To answer your question, I have to write a paper, gather everyone’s stories, and then I have to see the similarities

Daniel-Okay

K-And then um eventually we’ll take it to the governments and NGO’s um that work with Filipino migrants. And when we um give them our paper and we’ll be like you know here are stories of people.

D- Ah, I see. Are you a missionary?

K-Ah no. Just a researcher, a student.

D-Ah, you are going to share with the people here?

K- Yes we are going to share with the Scalabrinis too, but um you can give a fake name if you want, make one up,

D- No problem

K-Yeah, okay. So let’s start.

D-So actually from the beginning I am living in uh Bicol

K- Bicol, mhm.

D- So I was born in ————-. Then moving to _______ Province in Bicol which is where my mother is living. After that I think uh about 9 years I am helping with my parents because my father, I have nothing against my father, but he’s uh working in Cebu City, while my mother is  in Bicol.  And after that, every month my father for our allowances like everything that we need in Bicol, he always sent to Bicol for money, for a walkman just like that.

K-Do you have any brothers or sisters?

D- I have one brother and three sisters.

K-Oh wow, are you oldest or youngest?

D-I am the second eldest brother.

K- Second eldest

D- I am the second eldest among the five family, the second eldest.

K- Ooh wow.

D- For the next few years in the Philippines, in you know Bicol. There was a time when my father could not send money, what I did is to find some bananas

K-Yeah hm, banana.  

D- It is not a ripe banana, but we can cook it so that we can, we can eat.  A lot of times just like that because we don’t have rice, we don’t have uh actually food

K-So you would eat these unripe bananas?

D- Yeah unripe bananas . Yeah you can cook it.

K-Did you boil it or grill it? How did you cook it?

D- Yeah, boil it, yeah. And then after that, I go to the Parish, so that we can, you know the wood, the wood we can sell for food.

K- What did your uh home look like?

D- Well, actually we lived in the store of my grandmother, before that it was a store. After that she and my grandmother, she closed the store because we didn’t have a home. So she let my mother live in her store.

K- How old were you then?

D- I was about 9 years of age.

K-And what was your grandmother’s store? I mean what did she sell?

D- My grandmother she’s uh. She owns a lot of land in Bicol, mostly farm, produce. My grandmother she’s already about four years ago she’s already gone.

K- Oh I am sorry to hear that.

D- She was about eighty years old. You know and after that we moved to Cebu, Cebu City. From Bicol to Cebu City

K-Was this when you were nine or ten?

D- No, no about 10 years old.

K-Oh, oh okay

D- Yeah, at ten years old I was moving to Cebu City because my mom and father uh, my father, he was bringing the whole family to Cebu City. Bring the whole family so that we can all be there.  

K- Mhm

D-After that uh I went to grade school.

K-What was your favorite subject to study?

D- Mathematics, English, and science. I love that. And also, world history. Actually when uh, during my grade school, I was an honors student:  first grade, I am a second honor, second grade –first honor and honorable mentioned until grade six. I am honorable.

K-So you did really well in school?

D-Yeah, I was uh (pause). I had an unforgettable experience during my ten years of age. I am selling plastic bag, you know plastic bag?  Like when you go shopping?

K-Yup, I sure do.  

D- So I was selling bags about 25 cents. 1 piece 25 cents. I remember it was 1986.

K-1986, okay.  And that’s what you did?

D- Yup that’s what I did. When I earned 25 pesos at a time I can buy about 2 kilos of rice.

K-That’s a lot of rice, right?

D- Yeah, I did that to help my mother and father so that we can eat.

K-So what made you quit that and go to university?

D- Yeah I was working and studying at the same time. Yeah, because you know, I am a work-aholic type of person. I can’t stay at home without an income. Even when at the age of 10 years old I can find work to make money.

K- Yeah, I can see that.

D- Yes, at 10 years old. Now, I am thirty five years old, still single. I am not married yet because I am supporting for my parents, my brother, my sister, and my niece and a few others.

K- Are any of your other siblings, are they working abroad?

D- I am the only one.

K- The only one. Wow. That’s a lot of pressure. What do your siblings do?

D- My sisters they work in the Philippines. They all have job. So back to my experience as a child.

K-Oh right, sorry about that. I was curious. Continue.

D- During my childhood, I think teenager and childhood are just like that.

K- You consider them the same?

D- Yeah, I remember before in my childhood during the Christmas season. Because I am a good person to my customers. I remember every Christmas I would receive a lot of gifts from my customers.

K-Ah yes.

D- Yeah, because I am a good person to them. Because I do not lie to them unlike the others selling the plastic bag. We would pay, for example if you are talking to them, how much is piece of plastic bag? They would say, only 3 pesos. Then when you give to them 5 pesos, there is no change, and say oh it is five pesos. He lied to you.

K- Hm. Okay

D- For me, I cannot do that because you know, I am god-fearing. So many gifts I would receive every year. One day I realized, once you help the people, more blessings are to come. Just like that.  Sometimes I also like to the play the lotto, just like that, to know whether they are lucky or not. I am lucky at that. So I think that god’s given another way so that’s what I did to help another person, they’re looking for a job, then I already have so many persons who look for a job abroad. I know people working in Australia, Rome, and also, Taiwan.

K- So they help you sometimes?

D- No I don’t accept anything from them for me it’s a blessing from god to have so many friends, what he has given to me in the near future. Yeah, that’s what I think. I am not saying that I need your money, I am just waiting for what Jesus Christ has for me.

K- So when was the first time you went abroad? The first time you went abroad to work?

D- The first time I worked in Taiwan.

K-Really?

D- Yeah, it was 1998.

K- And how old were you then?

D- Twenty-two years old

K- Twenty-two. And what did you do there?

D- Uh, Machine operator. Yes, I was a machine operator in Taiwan.  

K- In a factory?

D- In a factory. I met a lot of people there. Different personalities and also, I also, met one special friend from Italy. He’s an engineer. So he’s really good. Then there were the Chinese. They like shouting at you, but we still work. It’s not good because in my home you cannot not hear not bad words from my brother, my sisters, from my family you cannot hear the bad words. We don’t like bad words. My mother, my father they disciplined well for their children. So I love that because we cannot say any bad words. If I want to say a bad word, I cannot.

K- You just say it in your head?

D- Well, you know, when I say that in my mind, I realize that it isn’t good. Just let them change.  I mean since we are living in this world then we have a chance to go the right direction. Wait, how long have you been here?

K- Just about one week.

D- One week?

K- Yes, I leave later tonight.

D- Just about one week?

K- Just one week. We stayed in Manila this whole time. We have not had time to venture out into the different provinces.

D- You came last week?

K- We came Saturday.

D- Saturday? I came here on Monday.

K- Ah. How long do you plan to stay here?

D- I think until my papers are released.

K- So like a month or two.

D- Oh maybe a month.

K-I am curious, how long did you stay in Taiwan?

D- About two years and a half.

K-Was that about the end of your contract?

D- My contract in Taiwan was only one year. Once you finish one year you can go vacation for one month. After one month, you can go back for another year because my one year contract was renewable. You can renew it.

K- I see.

D-Until 2 and half years I did it.

K- How long was your um work day? How many hours did you work?

D- 12 hours. From 6 in the morning to 6 pm in the evening.

K- Wow, did you get a lunch break?

D- Yeah we had a break at 10 o’clock, 10 minutes. 12 o’clock lunchtime, 12-1. And uh 3 o’clock in the afternoon. Three times.

K-Three different times, okay. Were there any hardships, I suppose, other than the Chinese shouting bad words. Were there any other problems that you had in the factory?

D-No not really. I didn’t want to cause trouble, didn’t want to hurt them. Always peace of mind just like that. I didn’t want to hurt anyone cause then you can’t fall asleep. I always think about that one.

K- Right before you go to sleep? Me too!

D- You see my teacher always tell me this. If the person is good to me, I am also good to him. If the person is not good for me, I want to give a distance to him, just like that. Each of us has a psychology. Whatever is her/his action we can observe that. If it is bad, I give a distance to her/ him.

K-So it sounds like you had a good experience in Taiwan. Right?

D- You know, my experience in Taiwan also I was friends with the Mormons.

K- Mormons, really?

D- I also have, I think, two best friends, two Mormon best friends. I really can’t forget their names, ——- and ——. They’re my two best friends. They were missionaries. They liked to encourage me to go to join their (pause)

K- Church?

D- Yeah church. I experienced that .I visit their church. They wanted me to get baptized and I was like no I am Catholic. Because in the Bible that’s not allowed.

K- I am also Catholic.

D- Oh yeah.

K- So after Taiwan did you come back home or did you go off to somewhere else?

D- No, I worked another job cause when I was graduated in 1997, October 1997, leaving  January 1998, how many months? November, December, January. Three months. I am new graduate, first graduate. And in January 1998 I am leaving the Philippines. So I didn’t have any experience for a local job with a big company so that is why I finished my three years in Taiwan and also at the time I wanted to work a local job. I had a local job for about 6 years. Wait 5 years, five years only.

K- And what did you do for that job?

D- At that time the local job I was a supervisor.

K- Uh-huh yes.

D- We made cans for ——-. You know ——.

K- Yes, I often buy their products.

D- We make that before for two years. And after that, after two years, because that place, it was Mindanao. I was hired in Cebu. After two years, I went to Taiwan for one month because at the time I was hired in local job but my boss let me go back to Taiwan. I went to Taiwan for training for one month. It was nice. For our transportation we had a private car.

K-Wow.

D- Yeah, BMW, Mercedes Benz. At the time we went to the factory because they were selling machines. We were pioneering at the time. So it was about eight people. Eight persons, it was hard at the time. Then we stayed in Taiwan for about one month so that we could check everything about the machine. At the time, I really loved that. You know, because they treated you like the ideal persons.

K- Very nicely, yeah.

D- Imagine the car, the BMW and the Mercedes Benz, in front of the hotel and aside from that I saved money about fifteen thousand. Fifteen thousand was the allowance for me from the machine. We received fifteen thousand for fifteen days.

K-Wow

D- Yeah, one thousand a day. The food, the breakfast, the lunch, and the dinner always eat all you can. They let you order what you liked. I love seafood.

K- So that sounds like a really good job, what happened?  Are you still working for that same company?

D- You know, after that, the training in Taiwan I am moving to Mindanao where the makers of the can. You know, because the can, on the template of the can- before we make the can there is a thin sheet we have a machine to make it roll or to make it a can so at the time, you know, during the processing I was thinking about the smell of the can.

K- Ah, mhm.

D- It’s very, very vile. Every day you can smell it, yeah? Inside your lungs. Sometimes I felt sick because of the process. Because there is the thin sheet, you know, I’ll tell you the procedure. There is a thin sheet from the ore, pass through the oven. Okay we have a big oven, so that it will dry. Then after that, no, no, no. First we have a drum of paint after that uh we had to mix by ourselves.  There was a chemical engineer but we also had to check the specification of the paint. Because if you do not have the specification of the paint the can is not safe. So from the thin sheet, to the oven, and after that the rollers just like that. We can make that every day for about two years.  

K- Yeah, not good for you.

D- Yeah cause sometimes when I breathe, it did not happen easily. That’s when I think I want to leave this job. Then I formally resigned. They posed why what’s the reason? You know, my health. My health is not good.

K-So is that why you are hoping to go to Kuwait or Qatar?

D- Well after that, I went to Cebu and I got a job. For me, you know, finding another job is pretty easy because my experience so about one month. No, two weeks, I can find a job. It is easy for me to find a job because of my experience.

K-Yes, it sounds like you’re very experienced.

D- After leaving Manila I am also moving to the shipyard.

K- Shipyard? Did you look at welding again?

D- Yeah, ship building, ship repair for both local and abroad ships. What I did was uh monitoring the ship builder, the surveyor, the captain, the shipmate according to them what the activities are everyday. Then before that we have a meeting, before we start the work. The surveyor of the ship or vessels, the captain, the shipmate we have a meeting with them regarding the activities. That’s what I did every day.

K- Is that what you will be doing when you go abroad again? Like having meetings with people and such?

D- Yeah, yeah, yeah. Then after the meeting I need to inform my superintendent. Because he wanted me to go to the meeting for this ship. Because I heard that this ship would be two weeks only, to me I needed to see what needed repair. It took a maximum two weeks.

K- So you worked there and then did you come to the Scalabrini Center to get your visa? Like did you come here right after to wait for your visa for the Middle East?

D- Yeah, the Middle East.

K-Are you having difficulties?

D- Actually before the visa processing we have uh first they have to hire you. There’s a way to enter then. After that once you are accepted in the interview then they give you a medical referral. Once you are free to work, the medical is done, they can process your visa.

K- And after the visa what do you do?

D- After the visa we also have, we call it POEA

K- Oh yeah, you go there?

D- We go to the pre-departure orientation seminar. It’s about one day. Mm, one day. It’s about 10 hours.

K- That’s not bad at all. And then you will go there?

D- No not yet. Before we went to the POEA place, then the agency building, once you are finished with everything you wait for the confirmation of your ticket.

K-Will you live in a dormitory when you are in the Middle East? Or will you have an apartment? Do you know yet?

D- An apartment, I know already. Because I am working in the __ department. We are documentations, and inspection at the same time,  documentation, because not all the time are we going to inspect for their work. Not all the time because the inspector personnel we are waiting for the construction that they are going to give us to check their work. So if there is an inspection we can stay and do something.

K- So do you miss your family when you are abroad?

D- Oh no. Uh well, once you are single. Because I already experienced once before when I went to Taiwan. We call it homesick.

K- Do you send them back gifts?

D -Yes. I experience before about three months, I used to cry like that because I love to go back to the Philippines . You know the Overseas Filipino Workers, somebody say, which one you choose? Homesick or dollar?

K-Oh my!

D- I think about it over and over again. It’s better if we can earn because our homesickness can just pass away. Couple of days, couple of months  just like that.

K-But the dollar is…

D- Yeah, you gain strength. You have to be strong.

K-So um do you have plans of ever- do save some money and do you want to open a business one day?

D- Like a businessman?

K-Yeah, do you ever plan to come back for good and open a business?

D-First abroad in Taiwan, I never invested money, because you know every month I sent to my parents for expenses at home. For about two years and half when I get back home I think I sent about 100,000 pesos. No about 180,000 pesos. So many of the expenses we need everyday 180,000 pesos. I was like my god, all that without any investment.

K- Do you plan to invest this time?                                                           

D-After five years abroad in Saudi Arabia, during one year in Saudi Arabia I didn’t save any money because I needed to help with my sister, parents, and niece. So after Saudi Arabia, two years in Qatar, I invest. I invest in a car.

K- That’s a good start.

D- Uh, now I need to go back because I have a plan to make a business pretty soon in the future.

K-What kind of business?

D- An internet café and I also want to buy one more car. You can travel for example mm 10 km for 100 pesos. One person 100 pesos. In month I can earn about  50,000 pesos except for my internet café.

K- Oh alas, I must go. We are headed to the Black Nazarene Church. Have you heard of it?

D- What is it?

K- It’s a church where miracles are supposed to happen. But thank you for letting me interview you.

D- No problem.

K- And good luck with your medical referral and visa. Thank you.