A successful marriage
“I came to Taiwan the week before the 2001 Lunar New Year to be a caregiver. I wasn’t yet 20 years old and weighed just 40 kilograms,” recalls Pham My Hanh from Vietnam. “But I had to help prepare meals at my employer’s cafeteria early every morning nonetheless. Once the customers finished eating, I had to wash the dishes, clean up the cafeteria, and then take care of his mother, a stroke victim who weighed 70 kilos.” Pham rose early and went to bed late day after day in a climate she wasn’t used to, until she was mentally and physically exhausted. She ended up returning to Vietnam before her contract was complete.
She thought she would be able to live and work in Vietnam, but when a major fire plunged her whole family into dire economic straits, she made a tearful return to Taiwan.
“While I could already speak Mandarin and Taiwanese, my employer this time was Hakka and I had to start a language from scratch again.” A strength forged of necessity enabled her to quickly pick up enough Hakka to get by and win the affection of her employer, to whom she provided care. Six months later, she was thrilled to feel trusted and cared for when her employer generously loaned her NT$100,000 so her family could buy a piece of land. Though her employer went on to introduce her to a potential boyfriend, Pham impressed her with her kindness, honesty, and filial piety when she didn’t feel comfortable leaving her unattended to go on a date. Two years later she became her boss’s granddaughter-in-law, appending a fairytale ending to her Taiwan story.
Now a mother of three, Pham has retained her interest in languages. Fortunately, the Ministry of Education has begun training migrants to teach their mother tongues. After completing the training course, she began working as a substitute elementary-school teacher, and this year introduced her own Vietnamese class at SEAMi.
“My husband sometimes thanks me in Vietnamese, which warms my heart,” says Pham with a sunny smile. She has also been touched by her mother-in-law learning to greet family members in Vietnamese.
SEAMi founder Lin Zhouxi’s goal is to create a warm and welcoming cultural space for Southeast-Asian migrants.