Research (Week 3): Different perspectives

Spoke to another member of the Taiwanese community today. Delved further into the topic of opportunities for the 2nd and 3rd generations.

Antonio Chang is another member of the 1.5 generation, coming here when he was 12. He's in his 30s now and like many people in his generation, owns and runs a store in Chinatown. He also runs a consulting business, acting as a middleman between Chinese companies and Argentine companies. Furthermore, he's the secretary of the Chinatown Association.

Besides giving a brief account of Taiwanese and Chinese immigrant history, he also mentioned that many Taiwanese immigrants left after 2000 and never came back. He thinks that his generation (30 to 45 years old) has it the hardest - stuck between two worlds, having traditional Chinese values but also wanting to live a relaxed Argentine life. "It will take 20 to 30 more years for Taiwanese to fully integrate into society," Chang said. "Right now, there's still advantage in keeping the traditional culture."

He also mentioned that Argentine companies are still reluctant to hire Asian immigrants, and people in his generation mostly run their own shops or rely on the "Chinese advantage" - work for companies that deal with China or Taiwan. His consulting business does exactly that - and he uses his fluency in both languages to his advantage. "Only ones with special talents or professional skills can find a job outside a Chinese-related field," he said. When he finished college, he worked at a cell phone store and had high sales numbers because he could sell to both Chinese and Argentine clients. "I take advantage of being in both worlds," he said.

He hopes to facilitate understanding between locals and the Chinese community by holding events through the Chinatown Association. "We're doing this for the future generations," he said. "If we don't do anything, we'll just remain mysterious and be misunterstood." His goal is to hold four street events per year, and for the government to take notice and turn them into official activities. "We want this to be the cleanest, most orderly, and safest Chinatown in the world," he said.

Diego Lee is also from the same generation. He said that after the mass exodus after 2001, there are very few real 2nd generation Taiwanese who are at working age. He also places a high importance in the "Chinese advantage." Since the community is relatively young and not as integrated yet, he thinks its crucial that his children learn Chinese. "Language is the only thing that we can use to compete with other people," he said.

Later, I went to a the Chinese Saturday school to talk to one of the teachers, Lee Ting-Mei. She doesn't think there is a problem with integration and finding jobs in society. "I'm first generation, and I have an excellent job," she said. "I teach several Taiwanese college students, and they're excelling in various fields. It depends who you talk to," she said.

She will send me the emails of a couple of her excellent students so I can have a glimpse of the other side of the story.