LEAH KOGAN

OPENING QUESTIONS

• Can you please state your name and where you are from?

• Is there anything you would like to focus on?

*Focus on experience being raised bicultural, assimilation versus integration, and the realities of resettlement for my family*

• How do you feel about living in RI?

 

REALITIES OF RESETTLEMENT FOR FAMILY

• What was it like being brought up in America by parents who relocated here?

  • Did they know English already or did they have to learn the language when they got here?

  • What country was the refugee camp in?

  • What have they told you about life in the camp?

  • How long were they there for?

  • How long was the process for them to come to the US?

  • Did your parents compare for you the differences between the situations you were now in versus what you would have experienced in Cambodia?

 

ASSIMILATION VERSUS INTEGRATION

• How much do you know about your parents’ beginnings in America?

• Did you parents come directly to RI?

• Do you know if they felt as though they fit into American society or did they feel like outsiders for a time (or do they still)?

  • Were they expected by their peers to become like a traditional American family, or did the community respect their cultural differences?

  • If they did try to fit in with everyone else, do they feel like they succeeded?

    • Do they enjoy that?

• How do you think their struggles with cultural differences has affected you?

 

BICULTURAL

• Is your identity of being bicultural stemmed from being Cambodian and brought up in America, or do you also identify with other cultures as well?

• Do you feel like you had a hard time ‘finding yourself’ and completely understanding your cultural background?

• Did you go through a “typical” education system?

  • Did you get treated differently, or feel as though you were very different from other kids your age?

• What cultural traditions did your parents raise you with?

• What kind of advice would you give to others who may have difficulty with their identities and how to balance difference in their cultural backgrounds?

 

ENDING QUESTIONS

• Would you ever want to return to Cambodia?

• What can your old country do to solve the refugee crisis there?

• What can our country do to help the refugee crisis here?

• Do you think your past has lead to your current experiences and does it affect your daily life?

• What accomplishments in your life are you most proud of?

• What is your main goal for your future?

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Leah: Recording

Paige: Notes

Jasmine: Facilitating + meeting community member in the library at 2:30

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