My Brother, Valentin
Originally, my parents planned on filing for citizenship when they had the money. But, that’s the problem with raising four kids...
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Stories of hope and resilience, Share yours.
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Apr 3, 20206 min read
Nothing Lasts Forever
If joy is hidden behind a bed of thorns, then I will cut my hands to reach it...
Feb 24, 20208 min read
The Color Reel
I was the only girl in my family and had three older brothers. My mom was a teacher and my dad worked in communications...
Jan 20, 20208 min read
The Dream That Pushes Us Forward
From a young age I dreamed of distant lands. Adventures in exotic places filled my head as I made my long walk...
Jan 10, 20208 min read
A Refugee No More
My father was a Kashmiri Pandit, a Hindu in a Muslim-dominated area. But in those days, it was no real threat other than...
Sep 30, 20196 min read
Life Is for the Taking
In the early 1990s, my father and his brother left their home in Macedonia to pursue their dream of opening a restaurant together...
Sep 29, 20198 min read
The Ghosts of the Past
Luckily, one of the performers noticed me trailing behind them and took me to the police station where I was reunited with my parents...
Sep 26, 20197 min read
To Dream of Borders
My childhood was simple, as is most of life in our community. And for many years, it was all I knew, all I needed...
Aug 2, 20198 min read
Strength in the Journey
My parents were both originally from the northern region of Vietnam but fled south to escape communist rule...
Jun 13, 20196 min read
Losing It All
Ever since I was a baby, my parents, siblings, and I visited Buenos Aires, Argentina, many times. It was always super fun to visit...
May 9, 20196 min read
An Ocean Apart
Since I was a child, I’ve been an open book and eager to have new experiences. I wanted to “see the world,” and perhaps, find...
Apr 24, 20198 min read
Someday Soon, Venezuela
My country is destroyed—people have died of hunger, died from a lack of medicine, or simply have been killed. Thanks to a dictatorship...
Jan 4, 20197 min read
I Am Who I Am
From a very early age, I knew I had a unique identity. My favorite part of having mixed blood is to make people try to guess...
Sep 7, 20184 min read
When the Heart Sings
I was a very chubby kid since childhood; I enjoyed food and was very carefree. I loved to dance and sing. I grew up with one sister who...
Aug 3, 201817 min read
My Oma Was a Nazi
With politics dividing this country, and “Nazi” being used on both sides of the divide, I often wonder how people can come back together...
Jul 6, 201811 min read
Finding True Refuge
At the time, Pablo Escobar, a drug lord and narco-terrorist, was wreaking havoc in Colombia and my parents didn’t feel that living there...
May 4, 20186 min read
The Little Metal Suitcase
We lived in a tiny, one-bedroom abode, because my father did not make much money being a school teacher. He was often innovative, once...
Mar 23, 20186 min read
Let It Flow
My family and friends were there, and it was what I was used to. I wanted to travel to other countries, but I always thought I’d come...
Feb 9, 20187 min read
Darkness Breaks
Everything I had touched in my life had so far become a disappointment, and I wanted to end it all.
My life flashed before my eyes as I...
Feb 1, 20184 min read
The Pursuit of the Better
“Good life is expensive. There is a cheaper one, but it’s not life,” my parents used to say. It might not sound literally correct, but...
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