The Migrant Workers Who Loved Taking Selfies

We need to have more understanding and tolerance for those migrant workers who are here, helping US, look after our elderly parents, and helping out with our household chores, translated…

I’d gone to report on a protest led by the migrant workers at Taipei Main Station that day, and bumped into the Filipino migrant worker I’d met before, L. I’d greeted her, but, she’d looked, a bit nervous as she saw me, “Sir, are you here, to interview?”

something that’s, happening on the streets here, in Taiwan…photo from online…

“Yeah, there’s that activity to day, and I’d, come here.”

“Oh, but I wanted to be a bit low-key, I don’t want any cameras on me.”

“It’s fine, you did, bring a mask, didn’t you? Just wear it later.”

L lowered her head, and, started finding something in her bag, I thought she was, rummaging for the mask, but, she’d, taken out her cell, then, changed the camera to selfie mode, told me, “It’s such a wonder, bumping into you today, let’s, do a selfie together!”, then, her originally panicky face turned to a shiny smile, and, her sudden moves made me laugh too.

I’d been working alongside the migrant workers long term, I’d not found it odd, after we got our photos together, I watched her pulled some of her other friends to get selfies.

Actually, the protest was somewhat serious that day, relating to the rights of the migrant laborers, but, this, was the wonderful thing about the Filipinos, they can always, make the occasions joyous, no matter where they may be.

I’d recalled how at the start of last year, I’d met up for the very first time with L and her friends, a group of Filipino girls also, pulled me, whom they’d, just met, and took shots of me doing everything, crossing the streets, alighting the MRT, going down on the escalators…………the way they looked, so happy and active, became this, sharp contrast with the others around them, with their straight faces.

just hanging out…photo from online…

The migrant workers loving selfies was one of the impressions that the public held of them. In the places that the citizens here no longer are interested in going, you can see these foreign friends, taking selfies, having such a grand time. I’d once inquired, why do they love taking selfies so much? They’d replied, “To capture more happy memories.”, and it’d not meant anything to me right then, but, as I’d, chewed on the thought later, I’d, heard the words that weren’t, spoken aloud.

Turns out, there’s, only limited days off for the migrant workers, as the rest of us are enjoying our two-day weekends, the migrant workers in the factories only received one day off, and, the nurse’s aides, the household helpers received less, about a day off a month, or one day for for two months’ worked, even, they’d worked, for months on end, without a day off. And because of this, they had less than enough of an opportunity, to go out to hang with friends, to have a day off, and it’s a wonder, that they’d, always tried having a great time on their days off.

In this shortened time, they’d, started taking selfies like crazy. Because once the break is over, nobody knows, when the next break would come, and, during this period, they can only, sort through the photos on their phones, to help them through their hard work days, and so naturally, the more selfies, the better.

their protests for more rights, photo from online…

The reasons for a lot of people hear, disliking the migrant workers included, “too loud, enjoyed hollering a lot, sitting on the floors and eating.” But they’d not, tried and understood the reason behind it; sitting on the floor anywhere, it’s because there’s, a limited amount of spaces available. Let’s change our beliefs, and, give these men and women, who made minimum wages, and giving the years of their youths to this island, on their hard-to-come-by days off, a little more understanding.

And so, because we lacked understanding of how hard these migrant workers worked, and so, when they get too loud as a group, we’d, looked at them with discrimination, and, this article gave us an alternative perspective as to WHY they would get loud in public, and, hopefully, this article can make us more tolerant of their behaviors, after all, we’re the ones, who’d, needed their help in taking care of our parents, grandparents, children, clean up our houses, and, if we didn’t need these migrant workers to work in these menial jobs we ourselves don’t have the time for, then, there wouldn’t be a need for them in the first place, and they wouldn’t have to, leave their home, and families behind them to work over here.