Editor’s note: Click to read more about the Assyrian Diaspora and resettlement in countries like Iraq. Click here to watch another Assyrian-Iraqi whose family also immigrated to the US – tell her story. Why did you or your family move TO America? a. We moved to America because of the better opportunities for us, and the substantially better education system. ... Read More »
Take me back to when you were still living in your home country? I lived with my mother, father, younger sister, and older brother. We lived in a small house because we were a middle-class family. My sister and I would even share our clothes at times because we didn’t have many. But I never complained because I knew how ... Read More »
I just felt like America was a “land of opportunities”, and when I received a job offer that required moving here… I just took it. I don’t think it really sunk in until later, when I had time to process the fact that I was moving to a whole new country by myself. Did you prepare for the move? If ... Read More »
My coworker, Maria Minoza grew up in the Philippines and was born in Bohol. In 2018, Maria flew to the United States for the first time a day after she married her husband. On a previous trip to London she met her current husband and reconnected later in Hong Kong. Their love story began from there. He visited Maria a ... Read More »
“We have now blended our culture with American culture, but that does not make us any less of either group?” *Note: My Grandma does not speak English and my words are rough translations of what she told me. Some words that exist in Punjabi do not exist in English, so I did ... Read More »
In the summer of 2010, Janice was studying hard in a high school classroom in China, where the “gaokao” was too stressful for her. She was afraid of failing to get into a good university. Life in her original country was pleasant, but the pace of life was too fast. Because ... Read More »
I interviewed my mother, My Son Truong, who immigrated from South Vietnam to Adelaide South Australia in 1994 and then immigrated with me from Australia to San Jose, California in 2010. Throughout my life, my mom, My Son Truong, has always been in survival mode, always working or doing something — never staying still. ... Read More »
When did you first consider emigrating from South Korea? Since I was 10. It was horrible. My parents were very old school and from the countryside of South Korea. Sons were valued much higher than girls to the point that nobody wanted to have a daughter. My mom had 5 daughters ... Read More »
What is your name and date/place of birth? My name is Shaima Bibi and I was born on September 20, 1966 in Suva, Fiji Islands. The most memorable thing about my birth as I was told by my mother was that I was born at home with the help of the local ... Read More »
What is your oldest memory before coming to the U.S? The oldest memory I have is of my sister and I playing by the river making “Mud Cakes”. What do you miss the most from home as a child? Playing out in nature, climbing on trees and walking to my grandparent’s house. What emotions can you remember when coming to ... Read More »