On Christmas eve, we went to mass at the main Catholic church in Hsinchu. Getting there right on time, we were surprised to see a sea of people already standing all the way out the door. It was the most crowded mass I have ever been to. Paul managed to get into the side chapel area where he and Noah could hear the mass through the speaker. Since I had to change Ben's diaper, we were left outside and there was no way of forcing ourselves into the church.
So you must be wondering: with such a tiny Catholic population in Taiwan, where on earth do all these Catholics come from? Well, guess what? 99% of them are foreign labors from the Philippines, and the majority of the masses here are in fact in English. I was interested in the experience of these hundreds and thousands of Filipinos, so I started chatting with them (a lot of them couldn't get into the 9:30 mass and are standing outside waiting to attend the 11am service).
I chatted with three young people, all of them work in a shipping factory in the science park here in Hsinchu. The man told me that he was a college teacher back home, but a teacher's salary is disproportionally lower than working in as factory work in Taiwan, so in order to support his family, he came over on a three-year contract. One 25-year-old woman revealed that she is married and has a 2.5-year-old daughter, and she left them four months ago to come and work in Taiwan, where she makes much better money and can send money home to help them.. By this point, both of us had teary eyes, and I know she probably won't see her little girl for another three years. I had to turn away as I didn't want her to upset her, so I took Ben for a walk while trying to collect myself. What makes a loving mother give up being with her child to live in a factory abroad? The financial burden must be so heavy to make this a worthwhile trade-off for them. And I know for a fact that this situation of families permanently separated is not unique; it happens in China, in US, and everywhere else where there is poverty and there are jobs.
These hundreds of people represent an almost invisible underclass, living in the factory dormitories and working 10 hours a day. Church becomes there main social center. I also talked to a young, beautiful Carmelite sister from Philippines, who ministers to the labors. She told me that she visit different factories throughout the week and meets with the workers on their off time. She goes at night when they have day shifts, and during the day when they have night shifts.
When asked if they are happy living in Taiwan, they looked quite ambivalent, but kept stressing that the money is good here. I know that my Chinese look doesn't help them trust me.
So it’s an interesting Xmas eve experience. I didn’t get to attend mass, but I got to learn about and talk to a group of interesting people. I must say it felt kind of weird afterwards when we went to the five-star hotel next door to check out their scrumptious buffet brunch.
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I've always wondered about the lives of foreign laborers in Taiwan. Like you said, they seem to be almost invisible in Taiwanese society. The Filipino factory workers and nannies, the Thai and Indonesian construction workers, you don't really see them out in public, on TV, or anywhere your daily life. The fact that they trade three years of being able to raise, enjoy, and educate their children gives an idea of how dire their financial position really is. It is difficult, from our perspective to understand how it is a fair tradeoff but they do it. It makes me feel very very fortunate that I am able to raise my kids in this environment. And isn't it ironic that you had, perhaps, a more profound and meaningful experience outside the church than you might have had inside, were you able to get in? -ryan
When Christian and I attended a English mass in Taipei last summer, majority of the choir members were Filippino. The ushers were Filippinos too. To them, attendg Mass on Sunday and seeing their own 'countrymen' was the most exciting thing in their life, while working in a foreign land.
If you have taken a cruise, you would also know that most of the staffs on the boats were people from other third world countires-Thailand, Filippine, and other Eastern European countries. They signed away 3 years of their life, so they could make money to support their family back home.
When we went cruising in Alaska 2 years ago, we hired a nanny to watch our children in the evening. The lady was like me, a mother. She had a 2-year-old son. To give her child a better life, she signed on a 3-year work term with the cruiseline. While she is at sea, her mother took care the child.
So when she watched my children, they reminded her of her own child. It made me really sad hearing her story. At the same, feeling guilty of hiring her.
So while we were enjoying all the good food and having fun on our vacation, we were constantly reminded just how fortunate we were. One of our fortunate is be able to be with our children the whole time.
I guess that is life. We are just in a better place than many others.
-Jenny Pama
By the way, it sounds like we ate the scrumptuous brunch, but in fact she only ASKED about it (for when my parents come). We ate at a famous Hsinchu duck place. Pretty good, and much cheaper.
-Paul
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