Our Second Dragon Boat Festival with Migrant Worker Friends

Written by team member Josh

The Dragon Boat Festival used to feel like a very familiar holiday to me: eating zongzi, wearing scented sachets, and repeating the same traditions year after year.

But over the past two years, spending this festival with migrant worker friends has made it feel different.

This time, iMigo invited everyone to make Taiwanese zongzi and scented sachets together, while our migrant worker friends also shared Lemper from their home culture. Seeing Taiwanese bamboo leaves, glutinous rice, peanuts, and the aroma of meat placed on the same table as Lemper — with its coconut fragrance, rice, and filling — was quietly meaningful. We were not making the same dish, but each of us, in our own way, brought a taste of "home" into the room.

This was my second year celebrating the Dragon Boat Festival with migrant worker friends. Compared with the curiosity I felt the first time, this year I understood more clearly that cultural exchange is not just about introducing a holiday, nor about one side teaching the other how to do something "Taiwanese." It is about both sides being willing to share pieces of their own lives.

While we wrapped zongzi, sewed sachets, and tasted Lemper, language sometimes still became a barrier. But laughter, gestures, and simple demonstrations often filled in what words could not fully express. I also got to know several new friends, and Anny in particular was smiling so happily that day. Many connections grow slowly through these small, ordinary moments.

What I appreciate about iMigo's activities is that they allow "migrant workers" to become more than just a term in a social issue. They become the people sitting beside us, wrapping zongzi with us, sharing food from home, and celebrating a holiday together.

In my second Dragon Boat Festival with them, I am grateful to everyone who helped make this holiday feel more complete.