-How old were you when you left Cuba? 31 years old. I left on January 20th, 1971. – What did you do for work in Cuba? I was a barber. My father was a barber as well, and when I was 12 my mother sent me to his shop to start learning from him. At first I would just help ... Read More »
Jungha Kim immigrated from Busan, South Korea in 1995. After many years in New York City she lives in Palo Alto with her husband and daughter. 1) How was your life in South Korea? When I was three years old, my family moved to Japan because of my father’s business. During that time, I went to pre-school in Japan and ... Read More »
Born towards the end of World War II, Janet grew up in Northleach, a small village in England that was mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1086. Unlike some old villages, the houses of the Northleach main street have not modernized – they remain stable and upright with their thick sandstone walls. Janet grew up in a large house in ... Read More »
My mother, Vinaya Kavathekar, grew up in Pune, India. Unlike my own experience growing up in America, her culture and the traditional values of India were instilled into almost every part of her daily life. Yet, she had surprisingly little attachment to them. Vinaya always resented the way she saw women treated where she came from, despising the way she ... Read More »
I remember my father telling me about the long yet interesting stories of his travels to the US. One night my parents came in to talk to me, their expressions looked happy and excited. I was curious to hear what they had to say to me. My mother’s voice was soft as she was breaking the news that they were ... Read More »
“So how’s California?” his voice pulling me from my thoughts. “It’s fine,” I reply, “Not as good as there.” “Come on, tell us all about your new friends!” My mind went blank, I had nothing to say. “There’s nothing to tell,” I sigh. They stared blankly at me. “I’m sure they can’t be that bad.” I glanced at my hands, ... Read More »
“My life was better.” My mother described her former life in the Philippines, reminiscing in all of the old memories she had of her childhood and young adulthood. My mother was born in 1980 and grew up in the crowded and vibrant city of Cavite in the Philippines. In this city, she lived a standard yet fun and easy-going life ... Read More »
Cham Yean grew up in a poor family in the small country of Cambodia in the 1960s and 70s. During this time, Cambodia was in the midst of a civil war, and bombs would drop frequently, without warning, and kill many people. Because of this, Cham had to live her daily life amidst the fear of whether she would make ... Read More »
She is very short. She is 53 years old. She wears glasses to read. She likes to watch Modern Family. She teaches at Canada College. Her favorite color is black. She believes in God. She cooks good food. Sometimes, she takes my sister and I out to lunch/dinner, which is always fun and even more when we go to ... Read More »
I love teaching, no matter where I am — in either Taiwan or America. I love the fact that teaching isn’t just endless lectures, but rather an interactive experience for both teachers and students as they can learn from each other. It was 2014 when I first moved to America. I barely knew any English at that time. The most ... Read More »