Living a New Life, Shining a Light!
My mother, Lumiki Ying, is from Thailand. She decided to quit her flight attendant career and stay in Kaohsiung 3 years ago so that she could be there for us while we were growing up. After becoming a full-time mother, apart from taking care of us, she hoped to use her skills and work experience to promote communication and interaction between people in Taiwan and Thailand. For this reason, she decided to create a Facebook fan page – On My Bike Way – to share Taiwan's colorful cultures, delicious local snacks, and some social systems and policies that are worthwhile for the Thai government to learn. What's more, my mother attended multiple video making/editing classes subsidized by the government to better her abilities. Through her cellphone and the far-reaching Internet, she is now able to share what she experiences as an immigrant in Taiwan with people in Thailand and around the world. Thanks to increasing views of my mother's fan page, she has gotten some opportunities to work with some government agencies and business organizations. Through these opportunities, she brings the beauty and highlights of Taiwan to the world with just a phone in her hand and a click of her finger.
Over the past three and a half years, my mother has made some great achievements. For instance, she now teaches Thai in several elementary schools and is a host of the Kaohsiung Branch of the National Educational Radio Station. She has also received subsidies from the New Immigrant Development Fund to complete two separate projects promoting social welfare of the underprivileged in Taiwan as well as providing publicity for Taiwan in Thailand. During this period, my mother has experienced challenges that many other immigrants in Taiwan encounter. This has allowed her to develop her own ideas and opinions about some government policies regarding immigrants. Take government-funded courses for immigrants to learn new skills as an example. The immigrants relocating to Taiwan over the past five years are much more diverse compared to those 10 or 20 years ago. Some may need the government's assistance. On the other hand, some other immigrants already have their own skills or talents, and they simply need a stage or an opportunity to shine. Last year, my brother came home with a question from his teacher, “What is it that is missing from Kaohsiung?” After discussing with my mother, we came to the conclusion that Kaohsiung didn't have any immigrant market events that take place on a monthly basis. We then talked to my father and decided to bring in help from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages to open a market featuring immigrants. Thanks to the support of Wenzao and some teachers' hard work, my father managed to get a subsidy from the New Immigrant Development Fund, and we teamed up with several immigrant organizations and NIA Kaohsiung City Service Centers. As a result, “Kaohsiung Multicultural Immigrants' Sunday Market” (aka KMISM) was born and opened on March 15th, 2020. Since then, the market has provided immigrants with opportunities to show their cultures, delicacies, and handicrafts. Following that, my father and his Wenzao coworkers included KMISM in their application for a subsidy for their USR Project “Wenzao Immigrants Support and Empowerment USR Project” (aka WISEUP) to the MOE, and successfully received funding, which allowed KMISM to expand and offer more to the participating immigrants. Currently, KMISM is held monthly on the third Sunday at BAIS New World in Ciaotou Sugar Refinery. There are around 30 - 35 stands selling different delicacies and handicrafts made by immigrants from more than 15 different countries. The participating immigrants and their children also go on KMISM's stage to perform and showcase their talents and skills, and 600 to 700 visitors go to KMISM each time it is held.
My mother is Thai, so my parents think that my brother and I should be able to speak both Thai and Mandarin. For this reason, my mother has taught us to speak Thai since we were born. She is also an elementary/junior high school Thai teacher. My mother has noticed that some immigrants' children living in Taiwan experience difficulty adjusting to their life in Taiwan or have problems in school. Once again, WISEUP came to the rescue. As a requirement of the USR project, two “deep-bowl” courses were opened in the Fall Semester, 2020, in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies and the Center for General Education respectively. The students in the deep-bowl courses learn skills and abilities they need to assist the immigrants at KMISM, help elementary school students with their school work and adjustment, and organize winter and summer camps for immigrants' children to experience and learn their immigrant parents' cultures. By doing so, those who are served can benefit, and the students of the deep-bowl courses apply and practice hands-on what they have learned in class in the real world while learning to serve and contribute to society before entering the workplace. It's a “triple-win” situation.
My mother also told me that immigrant workers in Taiwan need to be looked after in some ways, as when they leave their home countries for a better life, usually they have no one to go to when they encounter troubles. Having to work long hours all year long, a simple happy thing could make their day. Take the foreign caregivers near my house, for instance. One day my mother saw several Southeast Asian caregivers wandering under a mango tree. We soon found out that they were trying to knock off some of the green mangos on the tree. We guessed that these green mangos could ease their homesickness. A taste of home could make them feel better towards life in Taiwan. This is also what my father is trying to do through his USR project.
Finally, my mother says that I am one of the lucky children of immigrants because I can say that I'm a second-generation with confidence and pride. However, there are other second generations that might be afraid of discrimination, so they wouldn't like others to identify them as second generations of immigrants. I believe with the help of my parents, WISEUP, and Wenzao, immigrants and their children will be given recognition just like the “Made In Taiwan (MIT)” label, which has evolved from a symbol of knock-offs 20 years ago to a quality guarantee nowadays.
Over the past three and a half years, my mother has made some great achievements. For instance, she now teaches Thai in several elementary schools and is a host of the Kaohsiung Branch of the National Educational Radio Station. She has also received subsidies from the New Immigrant Development Fund to complete two separate projects promoting social welfare of the underprivileged in Taiwan as well as providing publicity for Taiwan in Thailand. During this period, my mother has experienced challenges that many other immigrants in Taiwan encounter. This has allowed her to develop her own ideas and opinions about some government policies regarding immigrants. Take government-funded courses for immigrants to learn new skills as an example. The immigrants relocating to Taiwan over the past five years are much more diverse compared to those 10 or 20 years ago. Some may need the government's assistance. On the other hand, some other immigrants already have their own skills or talents, and they simply need a stage or an opportunity to shine. Last year, my brother came home with a question from his teacher, “What is it that is missing from Kaohsiung?” After discussing with my mother, we came to the conclusion that Kaohsiung didn't have any immigrant market events that take place on a monthly basis. We then talked to my father and decided to bring in help from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages to open a market featuring immigrants. Thanks to the support of Wenzao and some teachers' hard work, my father managed to get a subsidy from the New Immigrant Development Fund, and we teamed up with several immigrant organizations and NIA Kaohsiung City Service Centers. As a result, “Kaohsiung Multicultural Immigrants' Sunday Market” (aka KMISM) was born and opened on March 15th, 2020. Since then, the market has provided immigrants with opportunities to show their cultures, delicacies, and handicrafts. Following that, my father and his Wenzao coworkers included KMISM in their application for a subsidy for their USR Project “Wenzao Immigrants Support and Empowerment USR Project” (aka WISEUP) to the MOE, and successfully received funding, which allowed KMISM to expand and offer more to the participating immigrants. Currently, KMISM is held monthly on the third Sunday at BAIS New World in Ciaotou Sugar Refinery. There are around 30 - 35 stands selling different delicacies and handicrafts made by immigrants from more than 15 different countries. The participating immigrants and their children also go on KMISM's stage to perform and showcase their talents and skills, and 600 to 700 visitors go to KMISM each time it is held.
My mother is Thai, so my parents think that my brother and I should be able to speak both Thai and Mandarin. For this reason, my mother has taught us to speak Thai since we were born. She is also an elementary/junior high school Thai teacher. My mother has noticed that some immigrants' children living in Taiwan experience difficulty adjusting to their life in Taiwan or have problems in school. Once again, WISEUP came to the rescue. As a requirement of the USR project, two “deep-bowl” courses were opened in the Fall Semester, 2020, in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies and the Center for General Education respectively. The students in the deep-bowl courses learn skills and abilities they need to assist the immigrants at KMISM, help elementary school students with their school work and adjustment, and organize winter and summer camps for immigrants' children to experience and learn their immigrant parents' cultures. By doing so, those who are served can benefit, and the students of the deep-bowl courses apply and practice hands-on what they have learned in class in the real world while learning to serve and contribute to society before entering the workplace. It's a “triple-win” situation.
My mother also told me that immigrant workers in Taiwan need to be looked after in some ways, as when they leave their home countries for a better life, usually they have no one to go to when they encounter troubles. Having to work long hours all year long, a simple happy thing could make their day. Take the foreign caregivers near my house, for instance. One day my mother saw several Southeast Asian caregivers wandering under a mango tree. We soon found out that they were trying to knock off some of the green mangos on the tree. We guessed that these green mangos could ease their homesickness. A taste of home could make them feel better towards life in Taiwan. This is also what my father is trying to do through his USR project.
Finally, my mother says that I am one of the lucky children of immigrants because I can say that I'm a second-generation with confidence and pride. However, there are other second generations that might be afraid of discrimination, so they wouldn't like others to identify them as second generations of immigrants. I believe with the help of my parents, WISEUP, and Wenzao, immigrants and their children will be given recognition just like the “Made In Taiwan (MIT)” label, which has evolved from a symbol of knock-offs 20 years ago to a quality guarantee nowadays.
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University characteristic Startup Stage Project
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Kaohsiung City
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Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages
544votes
Further reading
Measures for Leaving a Message to Enter the Draw for the Live Streaming of the Opening Ceremony
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Event Period
From 13:00 to 14:00 on December 12 (Saturday), 2020
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Event Measures
Log in to your personal Facebook or Google account to proceed with leaving a message; each account with a successful message of #2020usrexpo left before the end of the live streaming of the opening ceremony will have an opportunity to enter the draw, and each account is restricted to winning the prize once only.
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List of Winners
On December 14 (Monday), 2020, the list of winners will be announced on the event official website https://2020usrexpo.org/) Announcement of the list of winners
Event Prize Content
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1st Prize
“Huei Yeh” Power Extreme Massage Gun 1 winner
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2nd Prize
Nestle Dolce Gusto Genio 2 1 winner
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3rd Prize
KINYO Bluetooth 5.0 Wireless Speaker 2 winner
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4th Prize
7-11 Gift Voucher valued at NT$200 27 winner
Announcement of the list of winners
The various prizes are expected to be notified via email and also announced on the event official website on December 14 (Monday), please will the prize winners pay attention to the prize-winning information, and send back the relevant documents according to the notices & explanations; no separate notification will be issued.
Notices
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