The Yilan County Service Center of the National Immigration Agency held a family education course, inviting Tao Shi Gui, a new resident from Vietnam now living in Hualien, to share the story behind establishing the "Vietnam Story House" in Hualien and express her gratitude to Taiwanese education. During the course, participants also made Vietnamese bamboo dragonflies, symbolizing freedom and openness. Tao Shi Gui encouraged new residents to actively share their diverse cultures while learning Chinese.
Tao Shi Gui recalled that 16 years ago, when she first came to Taiwan, she didn’t speak any Chinese, and her initial motivation for founding the Story House was to thank the teachers who helped her. Through picture books and games, she hopes to create a fun and relaxed environment for children to learn languages and cultures.
Tao Shi Gui taught new residents in Yilan to make Vietnamese bamboo dragonflies, evoking childhood memories and encouraging the sharing of diverse cultures. (Photo/Source: Yilan County Immigration Service Station)
She pointed out that around 20 second-generation children participate in the free Vietnamese language classes each week, and about 10 new residents join in learning Chinese. She hopes that by sharing stories and languages, cultural diversity in Taiwan will be promoted.
During the course, Tao guided the participants in making bamboo dragonflies and shared stories from her childhood. She mentioned that due to her family's financial difficulties, her parents couldn’t provide extra resources, so she made her own toys out of bamboo, decorating them to bring the dragonflies to life. This handmade process not only brought back childhood memories for her but also allowed the participants to experience the joy of crafting and cultural connection.
Yilan County Service Center expressed their gratitude for Tao’s inspiring sharing and hoped more new residents would join in promoting multiculturalism. Additionally, to help new residents and their children become more familiar with digital networks and computer applications, the center provides free borrowing of laptops and mobile internet services. For more information, visit the "New Immigrant Digital Information e-Net" (https://nit.immigration.gov.tw) or call the free service hotline 0800-005-788, assisting more new immigrant families in enhancing their digital literacy and moving towards a happy "new" life.
