Reflections on One-Forty’s Migrant for Migrant Workshop: Balancing Money, Identity, and Ideals Attending the latest One-Forty workshop left me reflecting on how identity, economics, and community shape the migrant experience. As I set aside my PhD applications for the day, I thought I’d write down my thoughts on the event and the questions it evoked in me. Setting the Scene The “Migrant for Migrant” (M4M) program is a new initiative by One-Forty aimed at empowering migrant leaders and giving them space to organize their own activities. Yesterday’s workshop, led by an Indonesian migrant entrepreneur, drew forty women who were eager…
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Yesterday, on October 6, 2024, I spent the day immersed in One-Forty’s vibrant course environment. I started with the Indonesian financial management class in the morning, participated in a One-Forty donor event for ASML—a Dutch semiconductor company—at a separate venue, and wrapped up the day with the Chinese listening and speaking class with the Indonesian students in the afternoon. In this post, I’ll dive into my experiences and insights from the morning’s financial management session, where I observed the students’ diverse backgrounds, entrepreneurial aspirations, and the unique teaching approaches that made this class so impactful. Background: One-Forty’s Course Day for…
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Did you know that among Taiwan’s 23 million people, over 760,000 are migrant workers employed in low-skill, low-paying industries like domestic care and factory work? This means that 1 in 33 people in Taiwan is a migrant worker, most of whom come from Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. Migrant workers in Taiwan Vietnam: 256,576 Indonesia: 255,874 Philippines:154,027 Thailand: 67,954 Taiwan employs a “guest worker” system, a prevalent labour migration model in many Asian countries. Under this regime, migrant workers are hired on temporary contracts and are not allowed to immigrate or become naturalized citizens. This approach is common in…
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One-Forty and the Career Center Vision I’m now entering my third week in Taiwan, working with One-Forty while finalizing my project with IOM Indonesia. While I am thrilled with the crisis preparedness module I developed for Indonesian Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) abroad, that’s a topic for another day. What I really want to share is how IOM’s Reintegration Handbook has helped me launch my new project: creating One-Forty’s very own reintegration handbook for Indonesian migrant workers. One-Forty has this amazing vision to create a Career Center for its migrant students and alumni. It’s not just a lofty idea either—this would…
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You landed at the airport, exited the gate and saw a woman holding a placard “TKI berkumpul di sini” (female migrant workers meeting point). You assumed you’d stop and wait there. I followed the English signs because I could speak English. Thankfully, almost all signs are bilingual. I had to get the metro card and train ticket to the city centre. I had to follow a Line chat from my landlord with my 30kg suitcase, down an alleyway and into an old building. I had to carry that heavy suitcase up 4 flights of stairs. That was only the beginning.…
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There was a lag between the previous post and this one, and honestly, I am not really sure what to write today, despite having learned so much on the job this week. What I have found so far from my interviews with different CSOs are the following: Big organisations: diaspora, migrant workers, students The IDN Global is definitely a key player in establishing connections and networks across countries, cultures, and citizenship/migration statuses. They have the objective of promoting the dual citizenship policy. This goal helps establish formal and informal networks with Indonesians of all backgrounds. However, when it comes to…
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Yesterday I met with Jacquie and Uli – mentor and fellow mentee of Sun Walking’s REMS Leadership Program, respectively. Uli comes from a completely different background. He is passionate about plants as a micro subject and humans’ relationship with nature as a macro subject. Speaking about bird migration and agrotourism in Costa Rica made me think about the importance of understanding the ecosystem of the population that you are interested in. So much of what we can do to help a population thrive comes down to paying attention to the details: what is the ecosystem that they are part of? …
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Hello readers, I am planning to post weekly about my current interest in Indonesian migration and return. This is an idea that an advisor suggested so that I stay true to my career goal. I am hopeful that I can remain consistent because it’s set in my Reminder app. Why Indonesian Migration and Return? This year I have focused more on Indonesian migrants’ education and livelihood options. Taking a class with Professor Fernando Reimers on “Educational Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship in Comparative Perspective” gave me the opportunity to explore Indonesian migrants’ educational experiences in Taiwan and the gap in migrant…
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This is a birthday present for a dear friend. Bun, hidup berjalan seperti bajingan Seperti landak yang tak punya teman Ia menggonggong bak suara hujan Dan kau pangeranku, mengambil peran Mum, life goes on like a bitch Like a friendless porcupine, It howls like the sound of the rain And you are my prince, taking on the mantle Bun, kalau saat hancur ku disayang Apalagi saat ku jadi juara Saat tak tahu arah kau di sana Menjadi gagah saat ku tak bisa Mum, if I am loved when I’m broken It’s even more when I am a winner When…
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One of the great joys of teaching online is the magnificent encounter with strangers. One of my pair of students is a philosopher and a linguist from one of the best universities in the world. I thoroughly enjoy every single one of the class because of how utterly intriguing their questions are. Recently the philosopher asked me about the functions of the Indonesian prefix ter-. When paired with a verb, there are three main functions of this prefix: Stative: it describes a state or a situation as it is Buku ini terletak di meja. The book lies on the table. (the…
