I had so much fun writing my “Leaving Home” Series that I decided to write another series, this time about cosplayers! I’ve asked a few of my friends to share their stories of how they got into cosplay, what cosplays they’ve done, and what they think of the cosplay community as a whole. I love…
Coming to America means a lot of different things to different people. For some, it’s a land of opportunity and growth. For others, it’s a sanctuary from a land that they can no longer call home due to violence, war, or poverty. No matter what brings people here, one thing is certain: they want what’s best…
Snippets of a Life Well Lived My mom was gracious enough to send me an unsolicited email with more anecdotes from her first few years living in the states. These didn’t quite make it into her chapter, so I’ve included them in their entirety below. (Also, spoiler alert: my mom says “shit” and I’m pretty…
Cristina’s Story This chapter of the series is dedicated to my lola. Although I didn’t have the chance to sit down with her myself to ask her about her journey to the states, I’m thankful that my mom was able to on my behalf.
Benita’s Story This chapter of the series is dedicated to my mom. I would like to thank her for all the help she’s been throughout this entire project. She emailed out and collected all the questionnaires. She also wrote down my dad’s answers and was extremely detailed with her own answers, which made for an amazing story. And,…
Ed’s Story This chapter of the Leaving Home series is dedicated to my dad. If it weren’t for him following my mom to America, I wouldn’t be here. Thank you for coming here to give me a wonderful life! Love you! November of 1984, Ed immigrated to the United States at the age of 28.…
Adjustments & Surprises The long journey behind them, the six Filipinos set out separately and at different times of their lives to make this new place their home. It would of course take some adjusting. Dee said that the most difficult thing to adjust to was “the weather and people.” Joy also voiced this concern,…
