We would like to thank our interviewees from Taiwan and the United States for generously sharing their narratives and experiences with us.
If you are interested in learning more about the women interviewed for this project, their biographies and excerpts from the interviews can be found below.
I have two homes, and I have no home
Thanh
“My son wanted to buy a toy airplane.
And then he said, “Mom, I send an airplane and then you can come now. I can send this there and then you can go back home. Because Papa said airplane is the only way you can go home.”
Dex
“I call my kids after my shifts. By calling them, speaking to my kids, I feel energized again. But I don’t keep photos .. I’m very sentimental. If I saw them, I would just cry… all the memories I keep in here.”
Marisol, as she points to her heart
“Home is family. A lot of my siblings are in the Philippines, the other two are in Singapore, the other one is going to Canada soon, so we’re very separated.”
May
“I consider myself to have many homes. Like a tree – My roots are my parents, brother, cousins and relatives
Naive
We met Ayu at her employer’s house in Taiwan. When we ask her about her home, she answers right away, “Indonesia.”
Ayu
“I call home very frequently. I like to talk to my mom. Being away from home is a new experience for both of us. It’s nice to be lost together.”
Agnes
我活在台灣我都喜歡。 我有打算在台灣如果找到一個好的丈夫[我就会]帶我的女兒來。。。我帶我女兒來應為住台灣很好。
“After living in Taiwan, I really like being here. I have plans to find a husband in Taiwan, then, afterwards, I’ll bring my two daughters over because it’s a good place to live.”
A-Rong
“I had a restaurant in the Philippines before I came here. When my kids graduated, I don’t have to work 3 jobs anymore, so I decided to just have a restaurant again.
Uni