by kratochwill | Jun 9, 2010 | Back Home, Family, Stories, The Migration, Work, Jobs and Money
His journey from Burma to Tham Hin refugee camp in Thailand to finally ending up in Chicago was wrought with impossibilities. The obstacles that Ernest Pyaohn, a Karen Burmese father and husband, faced were often beyond his control. But defiantly, he worked against...
by kratochwill | Jun 9, 2010 | Family, Identity
[A Lithuanian version of this story was published in Draugas: The Lithuanian World-wide Daily. Read the story here.] “It was our obsession,” Rita Wenzlow says of her early involvement with Lithuanian-American cultural organizations. She immigrated to the...
by kratochwill | Jun 3, 2010 | Good Question, Work, Jobs and Money
Shortly after Ernest Pyaohn arrived at O’Hare International Airport as a refugee from a camp in Thailand, he was employed. His job: Working at O’Hare Airport. As with many refugees who are placed in sanitation jobs or in hospitality, Pyaohn, was assisted...
by kratochwill | Apr 20, 2010 | Learning the Language, Work, Jobs and Money
To many, it’s obvious that refugees typically face problems finding jobs when they come to the United States. Learning a new language and culture is tough enough without having to navigate the job sphere. What makes matters worse is the reality that many refugees...
by kratochwill | Apr 19, 2010 | About, Family
We sat in an island of rubberized flooring, amidst faded tiling, bathed in harsh fluorescent lighting. I was bent at the waist, untying a well-worn pair of rental ice skates. “Kra-tok-vee-lay†he said in a voice, so sure and comfortable with this language I had...
