I've been wanting to post this entry a long time ago, but my laptop and internet connection had problems. Here's an entry that I wanted to post since Day One of my Internship!

Ni Hau Ma from Taipei!

Obviously if you are reading this entry, it can only mean one thing - I made it safe and sound to Taipei. It was a long 13 hour flight until I finally got to TPE airport at around 11pm and settled down at the apartment around midnight. My room is very cozy and comfy. It has the traditional Japanese sliding door that reminds me very much of the room from “The Grudge”. It's equipped with a water fan (I would die without this) and the place I sleep is right next to the window, hopefully to capture in the humid breeze at night time. Its 84 degree and humid, but it's actually not as bad as I had imagined. My summer trip to Vietnam many years ago was much worse. So the condition here is manageable. I'm slowly getting adjusted to the sleep cycle over here. I believed I only slept 4 hours last night with 3-5 sudden interruptions. I'm typing this during the evening over here, which is about 1-2am in the U.S. – so I'm VERY sleepy right now.

It's currently Day One of my internship and my very first assignment was to visit a Male Detention Center / MDC (another shelter approximately 15 minutes or so away from the place I’m currently interning). The MDC is where our Vietnamese brothers (ages ranged from the early twenties to the forties) are held captive due to illegal immigration, job bribery, and many other reasons. It was so surreal to be inches away from them because I usually hear stories like these through the newspapers and from the internet. As Cha Hung and a Case Worker (Chi Mai) interviewed the men individually, I cannot help, but sympathize with their situation and wished that there was something I can do.

I mainly stood by Cha Hung's side and listened to the stories. As soon as Cha Hung left for something, I had a chance to talk to the men. Nobody knew that I was Vietnamese (they thought I was Taiwanese) and they were shocked when I started asking them questions in Vietnamese. They were fairly young men(my age in their early twenties) and that's what probably broke the ice between us. I really felt like I was either speaking to one of my cousins or uncles from Vietnam.

One of the things I've learned is that the men stay at the center all day long and are only allowed outside twice a week. One guy personally requested that the next time I return (Cha Hung visit this place every Wednesday), that I bring them some Vietnamese reading material because they are very bored here. I wish I knew about this prior to leaving the U.S., because there are tons of Vietnamese reading materials down in east side San Diego and even some that I have laying around in my house. Now that I'm in Taiwan, I don't even know where to start looking for them. If YOU have any Vietnamese magazines, newspapers, books – anything that you think they will enjoy in order to kill time, please send them directly to Cha Hung's office and I will personally hand it to them at my next visit.

Well, I just had lunch with the staff and victims here at the shelter. This is my first meal with them so it's very awkward at first. I'm sure with time I'll be able to get to know each and everyone of them. I'd like to add that I'm having trouble remembering everyone's name, so I try to question and converse without using their name. It's quite mind-boggling!
Well, just thought I do an update on this blog while I wait for my evening meeting with Cha Hung.