Tom Chiu is a first-generation immigrant who has lived in the Bay Area for more than 40 years. He is currently a resident of San Jose. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Chiu came to the U.S. on a F1 student Visa after graduating from high school. Tom later graduated from San José State University. His career path has been ... Read More »
I sat on the edge of the bed waiting for Mama to settle herself in the room. She sat down with her cup of green tea in her hands which she drinks at least twice a day. Her bedroom was quite small and crowded, but we had no other place but here to have a conversation without our guests and ... Read More »
Sunlight shines through the windows onto my desk. The air is filled with the whisper of pencils scratching out various answers to the problems the teacher wrote on the board. I am bent over my own paper, carefully planning out my next answer. I mark the paper with a single letter, then, “BOOM!”, a distant thunder of sound, I can ... Read More »
Quy Lee tells a gripping story of his escape by boat from Viet Nam, along with 264 passengers he took along. Also, time in a Malaysian Refugee Camp, followed by a new life in the USA. Quy was part of a storytelling event called “When Home Won’t Let You Stay: Stories of Escape and Refuge.” It was co-sponsored by the ... Read More »
My father was born in 1962 in a small, crowded suburb in Mumbai, India, He lived with his parents, two sisters, and many relatives in a small space. From a very early age, he had to take care of his two younger sisters. As the eldest, he had the highest expectations upon him. But what no one had expected, was ... Read More »
Born on February 28, 1961, Shahe Krakirian began his life in Beirut, Lebanon living in a small apartment in with his whole family. He shared a room with his two younger brothers. Though they sometimes got into verbal arguments, and even occasional physical fights, his younger brothers were two of his closest friends during his childhood. It was not as ... Read More »
“We left our house with our small bag to go to the cargo ship knowing that I may never see my house again, and that we could be shot for walking the streets during the curfew.” My uncle Tai was born and grew up in Cholon. Cholon was a district of Saigon which was the capital of old South Vietnam. ... Read More »
From that day on, he told himself that if he couldn’t fly aircraft, he could at least make one. The number 8 in Chinese culture has always been a prized symbol, with its pronunciation sounding similar to prosperity and good fortune. My father was born on August 8th, 1958, and throughout his childhood, he was always told he was lucky ... Read More »
Hi, my name is Grace and 47 years ago I moved here to America with my husband, Henry; son, Sam; and daughter, Sarah, from South Korea. I remember – in South Korea – the blossoming Cherry Tree in the courtyard and all the dogs sleeping, like they always did. The room that we always held our parties and weekly dinners ... Read More »
Click Here to Listen to Audio Version – Written by Charles Drekmeier and Voiced by Peter Drekmeier, Former Mayor of Palo Alto. Grandpa Henry Drekmeier spent happy hours skating on the frozen estuaries of the Rhein near Bremerhaven where he was born. I suspect this may have been in the late 1860’s since he fathered the first of his five ... Read More »