by tham | Jun 9, 2010 | Back Home, The Migration
It was nothing like the Potala Palace, rightful abode of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. White and majestic. Hundreds of years old. Nestled in the Himalayan Mountains atop Marpo Ri, the “Red Hill.” No, this simple house in Dharamsala, India, seat of the...
by tham | Jun 8, 2010 | Family, Learning the Language
[Read the story – 코리안-아메리칸 ì—게는 í•´ì„하기 ì–´ ë ¤ìš´ 한êµë¬¸í™” – in Korean] Maybe this was his thousandth one. Unceremoniously, Doug Lee snipped the potsticker in half with a pair of scissors. With a sense of bored familiarity, he...
by tham | Jun 7, 2010 | Good Question, Stories
The major defining component of what makes one a refugee and what makes one an asylee is the place where one applies for refugee status. Refugees apply for and obtain such status outside of the United States; asylees apply for and obtain status while in the U.S. Both...
by tham | Apr 12, 2010 | Culture Shock, Family, Identity, The Migration, Work, Jobs and Money
Misha Cohen’s story, “From Bhutan to the Bronx,” about the Lhotsampas, who are ethnically-Nepalese refugees from Bhutan, exposes an important human rights issue that is often overlooked. Bhutan is a traditionally Buddhist, peace-upholding nation....
by tham | Apr 6, 2010 | About, Identity, The Migration
It was rainy and I was irritable. I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I wanted to go home, play video games, hang out with friends. Anything but this. This was sappy. This did not resonate with me. My parents came to America while the Vietnam War was simmering down...