A typhoon passed through Taoyuan last week--it was really rainy and windy, but very welcomed as a short reprieve to the heat. I also met the Turtle which apparently comes by every time it rains. I've actually met a whole host of animal friends this past week including beetles, frogs, and puppies. Last Friday, we also had a bbq to welcome Cha Cuong back from the US. It was great fun, the people here sure know how to cook! And the feasting was followed by none other than a volleyball tournament.

Yesterday, after lunch, I had some time to talk to one of the ladies here who I haven't really gotten to know yet. She told me about how her broker had confiscated her papers, lied to her, and made her do more work than she was supposed to do. Apparently, when this broker served as the interpreter between her and the employer, he just conveyed whatever he wanted to and did not communicate what the employer would say. We sat and talked for about half an hour before I had to get back to the office. I could see in her eyes and the way she told her story that she was trying to fight back tears, and I kept thinking how brave she was to have come here to give her family a better life--she noted that her son is now at university and is a computer whiz. She spoke very highly of him and you could tell that she was a proud mom. It's nice to know that her efforts and sacrifices are being put toward a better life for her children. She is hoping to learn more about computers also (actually most people here are very enthusiastic about them), so our weekly class on the basics is something they look forward to.

A recurring sentiment I've been hearing is the fact that although these women have been abused, mistreated, cheated, exploited, etc., they do not want to go back to Vietnam empty-handed. First of all, they have made so many sacrifices coming here--paying the fees, leaving their loved-ones etc., and to not have anything to show for it when they get home is just more than they can bear. So most of them hope to be able to switch employers and just find a decent job.

What is so frustrating and infuriating about these situations is that these brokers/employers prey on these people's vulnerabilities and take advantage of them because they cannot speak the language and do not know what their rights are. These brokers cannot legally confiscate papers for indefinite amounts of time. I can hardly imagine if I was in the same type of situation--coming to new country, not knowing the language, and just wanting to make an honest wage to feed my family at home. It is disheartening that these innocent people are being exploited in this manner. Cha Hung teaches a weekly class called luat lao dong (which roughly translates to 'labor laws') to inform people on their rights as workers. It is just one more way that these people are becoming increasingly empowered.

On the agenda tomorrow: a visit to a detention center with Cha Hung.