Member Spotlight: Monique Hawthorne

Monique Hawthorne

Where did you grow up?
My parents moved 9 different places all across the U.S. before I entered the 4th grade, but they ended up settling in Bakersfield, California. Never heard of it? Consider yourself lucky!


Was there a large Taiwanese presence in your community when you were growing up?
Numerically, no - probably can count the number of families on my hands and toes. But, the bond and presence is very strong. The Taiwanese American families in Bakersfield really support each other. If nothing else, someone was always passing around home-made mochi and bah-tzang.

Now?
In Portland, Oregon there is a larger population than in Bakersfield. I'm just getting plugged into it though. I met a lot of great women at the last NATWA mid-year meeting in Portland.

Can you share with us any interesting stories or ideas about being Taiwanese American?
Growing up in Bakersfield, I found it hard to live my Taiwanese-ness and my American-ness in mainstream culture. I was either a "forever foreigner" or an "all American girl." I didn't believe that I could live in this duality: an American patriot who could eat multiple bowls of minced pork rice with chopsticks?

After graduating from high school, I headed to Washington D.C. for a congressional internship and it was there that I was introduced to the world of TAF, ITASA, FAPA, TAC etc. I was hooked! All these people who simultaneously are both Taiwanese and American/Canadian, not having to choose one culture or another, but existing fully in both and thriving. I still remember flying to Grand Rapids, MI for my first TAF summer. It was like coming home to perfect strangers.


What is your profession currently?
Real Estate and Environmental Attorney


Did your Taiwanese heritage influence your current career path? If so, can you tell us what role your heritage played in what you do now?
Yes, to the extent that my parents are a huge part of my Taiwanese heritage, they influenced my career path.

My dad grew up in rural Kaohsiung as a rice farmer's son, and his mom passed away before he was in jr. high. He worked his way through school and chose a profession where he could provide for his father and sisters. His education helped break the cycle of poverty. My mom, on the other hand, grew up in a well-to-do family in Taipei, but was literally raised to be married off. Her parents pulled her out of school to get married. Because of their live journeys, my parents value education above so many things. Did I succumb to the pressure? Yup, you bet. I have the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" mentality. Besides, my parents never got the chance to set me up with any Taiwanese guys, so I consider us even.

Luckily, I like what I do, and it provides me a very credible platform to push the Taiwanese independence agenda.

What advice can you give other young Taiwanese-(north) American women about pursuing a career in North America and maintaining ties to their Taiwanese identity?
No matter what you do in life, do it well. This means above all things loving your family and friends well.

There is no one model on how one can retain her Taiwanese identity. For some, the mere fact that Taiwanese blood runs through veins will be enough. For others, it means that they submerse themselves in Taiwanese community. One thing is for certain: we've all been shaped by our Taiwanese identity and we share a common thread.

Bah-Tzang Event

The Mysterious Bah-Tzang Deconstructed

By: Tinna Chung 鍾羽婷

Ever wonder just how a Bah-Tzang comes together to become that satchel full of tastiness? Well, many curious minds gathered together on August 30th to find out. We all met at Wan-Chen Lo's house down in Irvine to learn how to make Bah-Tzang from scratch. Mrs. Lo has been making bah-tzang from scratch for many years now. She generously opened up her home and basically gave all of us a free cooking lesson.

Taiwanese women of all ages came to learn just what goes into a Bah-Tzang and how to wrap it. As Mrs. Lo explained what she used for the filling and how long to cook each ingredient, you can almost hear 10-15 women furiously take mental notes in hopes that they can re-create it later in their own homes. Then once the introduction to ingredients was over, she quickly led us all to her dining room table where everything needed to construct a bah-tzang was copiously laid out for everyone to dive into. We all stared in awe as Mrs. Lo demonstrated to us how to wrap the leaves just so and stuff the rice and fillings, before tying the parcels up with string. Her deft hands were so quick and precise, we had to ask her to show us over and over again because only a few of us were able to duplicate what we saw. I personally had trouble with every bah-tzang I attempted to make. Mrs. Lo had to give me personal attention with every bah-tzang since my wrapping was sub-par. Still, even with my amateur bah-tzangs in tow, I had a lot of fun learning how to make this traditional taiwanese dish. It was great to giggle along with everyone else as we all struggled to get the folding of the leaves correct and figure out together the best balance of sticky rice, meat, mushrooms and chestnuts.

After we had all the bah-tzangs wrapped up, we put them into a steamer and gathered for a feast. Needless to say, the bah-tzangs were delicious! As we munched on our bah-tzangs we had the time to introduce ourselves formally to each other. Joann also took the opportunity to speak more on what NATWA II is about and what our goals were. As the event closed on a peaceful food coma induced note, we were all able to take a couple more bah-tzangs home with us to enjoy!

2009 Mid-Year Conference

A Retreat Full of Goals and Solutions
By: Tinna Chung 鍾羽婷

The 2009 Mid-Year Conference was held in the beautiful state of Oregon. The ladies of NATWA came together once again for four days of reflection and relationship building. As a newcomer, the intern for NATWA II, I had no idea what to expect. Within five minutes of entering the throng of chatty and excited first generation taiwanese women, I could sense the strong bonds and seasoned friendships with each other. It was intimidating at first, but all the ladies were so personable and genuinely curious to learn about me (and about NATWA II) that my own excitement to exchange ideas took over.

All four days of the Mid-Year Conference were organized carefully to include the Board Meeting and numerous workshops that focused on a variety of topics involved with self reflection, living a healthy life, team building, and protecting the environment. NATWA II had the privilege to highlight three of its members: Dr. Michi Fu, Jennifer Kuo, and Monique Hawthorne. All three women were asked to create a workshop and speak on a topic related to their careers. Each women did a wonderful job and fittingly spoke on three different but vital topics that could help enrich your life. The NATWA ladies all seemed to enjoy all three workshops immensely.



Dr. Michi Fu focused on reflection and restoration. Prepared with small booklets that included constructive exercises that help you shape your goals and prioritize your values. It was powerful to witness 50+ taiwanese women discussing what they view as important in their lives and concreting goals for themselves. It was also inspiring to watch Michi conduct a meditation session for everyone. The previous excited, chaotic chatter of 50+ women became peaceful and pensive with the guidance of Michi's soothing voice and verbal cues.

Jennifer Kuo focused on team building. Her workshop had a different approach. Contrasting from Michi's peaceful workshop, Jennifer incorporated vigorous exercises that allowed the NATWA ladies let loose and have pure unfiltered fun. Her exercises taught everyone the importance of working together toward a common goal. She showed how a leader among a team is important to establish during times when direction is needed for the whole team to move forward. She also showed how important it was to maintain and show support to each other. I will forever remember the hilarious scene watching the NATWA ladies run around applying stickers onto each other to show encouragement. Their faces reflected pure enjoyment; child-like and innocent.

Monique Hawthorne's workshop was a very informative presentation that made us all more aware of what is going on in the world. She educated us all on what kinds of pollution are currently the most destructive and what solutions are out there to help reverse the damage being done. I thought Monique's presentation was well laid out and thoughtful. I especially liked how she gave multiple examples of solutions to help fight the deterioration of our environment. She covered what large companies are doing to be more green and informed on what we as an individual can do to become more green.

The 2009 Mid-Year Conference ended with a wonderful tour of the Oregon Coast. We stopped by many tourist spots and enjoyed the peaceful scenes that the Oregon Coast had to offer. It was a great experience to be able to explore the different tourist spots with the NATWA ladies.

Book Review: Formosa Furies by George Wu

Book Review: Formosa Furies

By Joann Lo

I recently read the new book by George Wu called Formosa Furies, which tells the story of three young Taiwanese “clothizens.” “Clothizens” are kites or flags that have come alive and have their own character and spirit. They fight to protect their countries from the evil gods Raindot and Thundot.

The book is targeted towards children around 9-12, but I enjoyed the book as well. I had bought it to hold onto until my son Dylan, now 15 months old, is older and we can read it together.

Formosa Furies does a great job using the story of these three young freedom fighters as an allegory for Taiwan’s struggle for independence and democracy. The three travel to other young democracies and learn a little about their histories and each country’s wonderful cuisines. I like that this book can expose children to other cultures as well as hopefully help Taiwanese and Taiwanese American/Canadian children feel proud of their heritage.

I spoke briefly to George Wu, the author. He was inspired to create these “clothizen” characters because when he lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, frequently he would take his two children, now 9 and 11, to fly kites.

For many years he had thought about writing a story for his children to help them better appreciate Taiwan, and by the time he finally did it, they loved chapter books, so that became the format for Formosa Furies. George also hopes to inspire children in Taiwan to better appreciate their home country, and so he has offered to donate copies of his book to NATWA’s book project, which sends English-language books to schools and libraries in Taiwan.

This would make a great holiday gift! NATWA II is selling Formosa Furies for $15 as a fundraiser for our programs. If you would like to buy a copy, please email us at natwa2admin@natwa.com to reserve your copy. You can send a check made out to NATWA for $18 ($3 for shipping) to:

NATWA II

c/o Joann Lo

939 N. Isabel St.

Glendale, CA 91207