Taoyuan’s SEAMi bookstore offers Southeast-Asian migrants a relaxed venue in which to share their feelings and their cultures. The shop’s friendly, multicultural atmosphere has nurtured many a seed over the years. With the passage of time, memories of the “old country” fade, enabling migrants to appreciate the stability and happiness they enjoy in Taiwan.

 

SEAMi founder Lin Zhouxi’s goal is to create a warm and welcoming cultural space for Southeast-Asian migrants.

A constant determination

Lin ­Zhouxi is the founder of the “SouthEastAsian Migrant inspired” (SEAMi) bookshop. Lin is also director of the Southeast Asian Cultural Renewal and Research Association of Tao­yuan, and has spent the last three years working with a group of like-minded individuals to enrich the lives of Southeast-Asian migrants in Taiwan. “My idea was very simple: I wanted to provide migrants with a laid-back, informal space where they could share their cultures and experiences, a space like a traditional temple plaza.”

Coming out of the underpass behind Tao­yuan Station can feel a bit like emerging from a tunnel through space and time—the shop signs in foreign languages that line the streets instantly teleport you into a Southeast-Asian community. SEAMi has a low-key second­-story ­presence here, sitting inconspicuously atop an Indonesian restaurant. On this Thursday afternoon, the shop’s staff are holding a meeting, with Lin pecking at a calculator to work out the cost of upcoming classes and events. “We might be looking a little downcast at how strapped for cash we are, but once these events get under­way, we’ll throw ourselves into them and our worries will fade,” says Lin, flashing a smile.

Realizing a dream

Lin worked for a time delivering milk to 7-Elevens after completing his military service. The job took him all over Tao­yuan and introduced him to people from all walks of life.

Chinese-Filipino educator Michael Ty trains seed teachers at SEAMi.

The city is practically forested with factories, and consequently something of a hub for migrant workers. In fact, when you include those married to Taiwanese, the area is home to some 130,000 migrants. “Every local ethnicity has its own affiliated groups and support mechanisms. But for migrant ethnic groups, it was a desert with only a smattering of short-lived oases of support,” says Lin, recalling the lay of the land three years ago. “I really wanted to build a bridge between locals and migrants.” For the last three years, he has been slowly turning this dream into reality.

The bookstore has only a single row of plain bookshelves, but it contains countless migrant stories and puts on different programs every day. “We try to educate in an informal way,” says Lin, who hopes that the approach will encourage people to learn proactively.

Michael Ty, a Chinese-Filipino educator with copious teaching experience, is currently training seed teachers at SEAMi. Ty came to Taiwan more than 20 years ago after graduating from university, and has worked here as a labor­-broker translator and counselor. That experience has given him a deep familiarity with the mindset of migrant workers.

Taoyuan’s SEAMi bookstore offers Southeast-Asian migrants a relaxed venue in which to share their feelings and their cultures.

A vehicle for change

He observes that human beings are feeling animals who can develop psychological issues if they don’t have an outlet for the loneliness they feel when away from their homes. “One migrant worker I encountered never spoke, and would pace the halls after everyone else had gone to bed for the night.” His employer and migrant roommates worried about his behavior. His employer ended up sending him back to his home country early because he was concerned that the man might harm himself or others.

“What happened after he went home was tragic.” His sudden loss of income and inability to repay the labor broker’s fees put him in a financial bind, and his poor record made it hard for him to find work. People in these circumstances often commit suicide or become too embarrassed to face their families. “I’m so happy we now have a friendly, inviting place that provides migrants with the chance to make friends, learn and grow. It reduces the frequency of these kinds of tragedies,” says Ty. His valuable experience provides SEAMi’s seed teachers with models for offering guidance and help should they someday encounter similarly difficult situations.

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.

For one of SEAMi’s “friendship” events, the shop was decorated with an array of different looking but equally joyful faces.

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.

Migrants share a variety of authentic Southeast-Asian dishes in SEAMi’s cooking classroom.

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.

Cultural ambassadors

Originally from North Vietnam, Mai Thi Thanh Tuyen has been in Taiwan for more than seven years and is currently pursuing a PhD at ­Chung Yuan Christian University, as well as teaching Vietnamese. “My ambition is to become a cultural bridge between Taiwan and Vietnam,” she says. Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy is set to give her an opportunity to do so. Under the policy, elementary schools are scheduled to introduce classes in Southeast-Asian languages next year.

Currently pursuing a PhD in Chinese literature at Chung Yuan Christian University, Mai Thi Thanh Tuyen has also developed her own materials for teaching Vietnamese pronunciation and conversation.

Language is both a bridge for communication and a catalyst for acceptance. “It’s not only important to cultivate seed teachers, but also to teach the Vietnamese language,” says Mai, whose language students include government officials and business owners, as well as ordinary people and college students.

At SEAMi, in addition to teaching Vietnamese and training seed teachers for the elementary-school language program, Mai is giving classes in translation to her fellow immigrants. By systematically contrasting Vietnamese with Mandarin and training her migrant students in correct usage, she is helping them develop skills they can use to find work. She has also developed teaching materials for pronunciation and basic ­conversation.

A childlike smile

SEAMi regularly organizes a variety of events aimed at helping second-generation immigrants develop a positive understanding of themselves. (courtesy of SEAMi)

“I originally planned to try this for a couple of years, but once I started, it swallowed me up,” says a smiling Lin ­Zhouxi. “I feel like it’s a kind of a mission, that there’s a need I have to meet, especially so that children of migrants can really grasp their heritage.” They need to know where they came from if they’re to face the future with confidence.

“SEAMi really is more like a creative and cultural enterprise—it has to put down roots, and lead other businesses through beauty and benevolence.” Lin isn’t interested in superficial glory. He’s aiming to build a real and sustainable business that becomes a part of people’s lives and grows along with them.