Farah Barnia was born in Iran and immigrated to the United States by herself in May of 1978 at the age of sixteen. In her homeland, she lived with her parents and five siblings until the age of five, when her mom passed away. Her father considered himself a nationalist whose main goal was to make his country better. For ... Read More »
Our family friend, Basil, is from the small South American country, Guyana. He was born in a county called Corentyne, which is Southeast of the country’s capital Georgetown. He grew up in a small farming community called Bush Lot Farm and had seven siblings. At that time, Guyana was not a rich country, and ... Read More »
My family’s most recent immigration story occurred so long ago that, when interviewed, my mother had to recount the number of “greats” that came before grandfather. My great-great-great grandfather, Emanuelo Oliva, was born in Genoa, Italy, in 1840, and immigrated to the United States with his family, including his three brothers. The family eventually made their way across the country to California, ... Read More »