264 RüdigerKunow
wealthyChineseseniors(MatiasandMosuela6-8).Theanguishofthese
women does not only represent the human side of a natural disaster but
reminds us that the close personal relationship we call "care" has—
perhapswithoutmanypeoplenoticingit—morphedintoaninternational
affair. A recent study sponsored by the MacArthur Foundation has
shown that growing numbers of caregivers (Choy 41), nurses in
hospitalsbutalsoindomesticsettings,arecomingfromabroad(Pittman
et al. 9-20). Visa to the U.S. issued under these premises have
skyrocketedfromunder1,000in1998toca.16,000in2006;andtoday,
more than a third of "imported" caregivers work in home care (Glenn
174-76; Lee and Johnstone 401).^96 These caregivers, especially when
working in the intimate settings of homecare for the elderly, are
providing "first world" care at "third world" prices and often, sadly so,
under"thirdworld"conditions.
Inaddition,thereisalsoamorenarrowlyculturalsidetothis.Aside
from the language barrier, which makes caregiving difficult, there are
also cultural barriers which even such an intimate relationship as care
cannot wholly overcome. Studies have shown that many elderly people
bring suspicions if not outright racist stereotypes to their caregivers
(Moldet.al.109).Carecanthusbeunderstoodasaformofintercultural
rencontrewhichisatthesametimedeeplygendered.Suchintercultural
rencontrestakeplacenotonlyintheGlobalNorth;inKorea,Japan,and
India,theyhavebecomeaneverydayreality,ifmoresoonthestructural
level. With regard to India, Sarah Lamb and Lawrence Cohen have
shownthattheWesternideaof"age,"includingitsspatialarrangements,
has become something like a socio-cultural norm, at least for some
social strata.^97 In fact, it has become something of a trend among
prosperous, upwardly-mobile Indians (mostly Hindus) to place their
(^96) The situation in Canada and Great Britain is pretty similar. There are 52,000
foreign-born nurses working in Canada right now; for more details cf. Nocos,
Clement. "From Nurses to Nannies: Filipina Women and Canada’s Live-in
Caregiver Program.” Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. Asia Pacific
FoundationofCanada,26June2013.Web.30May2017.
(^97) This development is not restricted to India, of course; similar tendencies can
also be found among other nations throughout Asia, most notably South Korea
butalsoChina(cf.Phuongn.pag.).