Key Concepts: Migration and Remittance
The first photo is taken from an event held by GW’s multicultural student services center for Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Celebration (APIHC) on April 11. The theme for this year is “Immigrant Stories: To Be Continued,” which I thought was fitting for Chapter 14. I’m using this photo to represent migration, which Miller defines as “movement from one place to another” (Miller 2017, p. 324). All of APIHC this year is dedicated to showcasing how migration, both international in the form of our parents and internal in the form of us college students, has shaped the Asian-American experience. In particular, the speaker in this photo is Eddie Huang, a chef, restauranteur, and writer. During his presentation he talked extensively of his background as the child of Taiwanese immigrants, who migrated internationally for economic reasons. Huang also discussed his difficulty with internal migration from his birthplace in DC to down south in Florida and trying to fit in with the different microcultures of each. Since both Huang and APIHC as a whole discuss two forms of migration, I thought the broader, overarching term would suit this photo best.
The second photo was taken last weekend and is an example of a remittance, which is defined in the text as “the transfer of money or goods by a migrant to his or her family in the country of origin” (Miller 2017, p. 328). Each season my parents send “balikbayan box” to family that they left behind in the Philippines. “Balik” means backwards or to return and “bayan” means country. Hence, put together the term means a box sent back to one’s country. The majority of the contents of a balikbayan box are goods that relatives request that cannot be found in the Philippines, along with some money. What is pictured above is my contributions to this season’s balikbayan box. Since I live away from home, I usually gather objects to send to my parents in order for them to include it in balikbayan box. In it is a t-shirt from my culture show that my cousin requested, some lip balm of a brand that is unavailable in the Philippines, the tin that is filled with various American-brand snacks that are also unavailable, and my contribution to the monetary part of the box. In response to the debate about the effect of remittances on the welfare of those who are receiving them, clearly my box is for short-term consumption. Knowing my cousin, the snacks will get eaten quickly, and he may even wear out the shirt in a short amount of time. However, I know my relatives are looking to build a hotel, and our monetary remittances have been contributing to this dream. So, if the hotel does get built and is successful and helps improve the economic situation of my family, then perhaps this will help in long-term investments.