Research (Week 3): Partyin' with government officials

After church, I got a call from Mr. Chang, the secretary of the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Institute (Basically the embassy, but it can't be named as such because of the one-China policy). He invited me to a party held to celebrate a successful public event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Republic of China. He told me all the important immigrant leaders would be there.

I arrived in a spacious apartment in Palermo. It was entirely designed Taiwan-style, complete with a karaoke machine, altar and plate fulls of oranges. I felt like I was transported back to my childhood. The people there were basically the elite of the first-generation - those who decided to stay after the economic crisis. "Life is wonderful, Argentina is heaven," I kept hearing. Almost all of them started out as poor supermarket owners, but they have made enough money to live comfortably. There was even one guy who was visiting from Ushuaia - the on the southernmost tip of Argentina!

At this party, I mostly heard success stories. Margarita Hsieh, now in her 60s, owns the Buddha Bar, a chic fusion-style teahouse in Chinatown. "I always tell people that I created this space as merely a little dream of an immigrant," she said. "I felt that I need to give something back to Argentina."

I also met some successful members of the 1.5 generation - Michael Hsiao is the first Taiwanese immigrant to sing in the national choir, and Huang Chun-Chun has his own architect and design business. They also gave me the contact of Carlos Lin - one of the first Asian reporters on national TV.

Is this story becoming more complicated, or more well-rounded? Where to go next? When is it time to stop making contacts and to start writing? What will I do for photos? I need some advice!