Originally from...

Irena is originally from Belgrade (Serbia). 

Irena earned  her Bachelor in theatre and film scenography in Belgrade. After graduating, because of her talent and a touch of luck she was offered a full scholarship to North Western, Chicago. She is currently working in both film and theater. 

In this episode we talk about growing up in Belgrade in a music family.  What to eat and drink in Serbia. What it is really like going to college in the US and finding work in a global pandemic. And what is wrong with the door locks?

In this part 2 we get to follow Emma as he  finally gets his refugee status and travels to Chicago, USA . We also find out how difficult it is to navigate a new country and a completely different environment.  We talk about Ugandan food and Emma's Youtube community channel "Word Out". 

Emma is originally from Munamba (Uganda). 

He is a refugee now living and working in Chicago, USA.  We talk about his traumatic child hood. His step sister who tried to poison him. And the life of a refugee and his way to getting asylum. This is part 1 of two. In the next episode we talk about coming to the US.  

Daphne is originally from Santiago (Chile).  

She studied architecture in Santiago (where she was born and raised) before attending Yale University in the USA.  She currently lives in Chicago with her husband and is works as a lighting designer for theaters, operas, etc.  We talk about Chile, beans, Pinochet, Connecticut and more.   

Ronnie is originally from Auckland (New Zealand).  
He lived in Wellington (New Zealand) before he started working for Eriksson and got a contract to work in the US. Ronnie is a cofounder of SkydiVR, is a skydive instructor and has over 5600 jumps under his belt. He also holds a world record in skydiving. We talk about the fascinating history and climate of New Zealand, sports, bungee jumping, skydiving and sauvignon blanc.

Chih-Jou is originally from Tainan (Taiwan).  She first came over as an exchange student to Westerville, Ohio (USA) where she studied theatre education and application.  She now resides in Chicago (USA). We talk about Taiwanese culture, religion, food markets and dancing as a way to express, communicate and connect.  We also talk about hardship and resilience. 

David is Originally from Queens, New York (USA). He moved to Israel with his mum and dad when he was 1.5 yrs old.  He spent his entire childhood and early adulthood before returning to New York in his early 20's.   Now residing in Queens and having come full circle, he works as a writer, producer, editor and director for film and TV. In this episode we talk about roots, politics, trauma and how David did not become a sniper in the Israeli army. 

Andi (Andrea) Kristins is originally from Reykjavik (Iceland). She is a “UN kid” and although she was born in Iceland she grew up in many different places, environments and cultures.  While her “home” began in Iceland, she has made a home everywhere she has lived.  In this episode we talk about the magic of Iceland and the adaptation of living in a different culture. We also get to know about how Andrea started learning the language of music and her way to becoming and audio engineer and composer in Brooklyn New York. 

Tara Mahase is originally from Trinidad and Tobago.  She left behind a full life with family and friends, but also poverty to find a better future and education in the United States. She also needed the right medical attention as she had an injury that left her in a lot of pain and limping since the age of 9. This is her story of love and the importance of family and friends.