Dr Liu: [ 00:00:03 ]Is everyone there? Hi, you. You're Kaylee and Madeline, yes Alexa, thank you so much. I just want to say a quick thank you to Nancy, Vivian, and Fabiana for coming. Just to clarify, Kaylee, do you want me to also participate in the interview? I have written a fund of knowledge book myself, or do you want to focus on Fabiana, Nancy, and Vivian, which is okay, I am 100% okay either way. Okay, um, I think we'll start with, um, the multilingual parent authors, and then if you want to join in at the end, if that works, okay. Sounds great, okay. Um, is everyone here? Are we which is, I think, I think we're all good, okay.

Kayley: So, hi everyone, I'm Kaylee. Wilcha, and on tonight's podcast, we'll be talking about multilingual parent authors and we will be interviewing multilingual parent authors and hearing more about their stories. So, um, if you don't mind Fabiana, do you mind if I interview you first?

Fabiana: Hi. Hi. Um, oay. So, um, I'm Fabiana, I'm from Brazil, living in the U.S. uh almost eight years um I have two daughters teenagers uh we moved here because my husband works at an international company uh he's an engineer um I work at uh BCSC is a school district here in Columbus Indiana um and I am a coordinator for cultural learning center

Kayley: um I read your book and I just wanted to ask you a few questions so my first question was when your family moved to America from Brazil were there things that the school did to help your daughter feel welcome in their new country and school?

Fabiana: Uh, at the beginning was very difficult for them and for me, um, because the language so when we moved my oldest was um nine years old and my youngest seven years old both uh were in the elementary school uh and they didn't know English so much, so I think the ENL teachers did a very good job with them um because the teachers tried to help them with a lot of figures uh, a lot of um, speaking very slowly uh and give them some more activities uh easier activities for them so I think it helps a lot, but was not easy. I think they um and then I remember that both cried a lot on the first week um and I think they felt more comfortable maybe two or three months after the school started

Kayley: And um just going off their um education experience in America um when you moved to America um, oh wait, sorry. Do you feel that your daughter's new school in America has found ways to include your culture through activities throughout their school year?

Fabiana: um, not too much, um, I think they, um, so we try to have our culture in our home, uh, but at schools, um, so they need to learn another language and they need to learn another culture, so it's really difficult to bring our, for example, our Brazilian culture to, uh, to schools here, uh, and the American education system is totally different from Brazil too, uh, so it I think they, they need to learn again, um, we try to have the the culture in at home, so in in my house, we just speak Portuguese, that is our home language, and then, when I try to make some Brazilian foods, and I try to explain them about um everything related with our country uh, but I don't think that in school uh, they can share their culture a lot.

Kayley: and um while I read your book, I noticed that the theme was the four seasons, and how your emotions parallel the seasons, and you mentioned how difficult the winter was, so do you have any suggestions that you would give to other families moving to a new country that would make the experience a little easier?

Fabiana: My yes, I have um, so I usually try to talk to new immigrant families, and then explain then that it's really hard hard when we move, but I also said don't give up do you know like try to make new friends try to to go to the places like don't feel alone inside your house um try to make new friends try to listen Americans try to listen new music try to watch a new movies but everything with a new language um and so what I did was not stay home so i went to schools i tried to be a volunteer i think to be a volunteer is the best advice that i can give to other people for immigrant people that try to be a volunteer because you will learn a lot about a new culture you will learn a lot a new language and you you make friends that i think is that you need to start making new friends yeah

Kayley: thank You and my last question is, do you plan on writing another book and would it be about different experiences you faced while moving to America?

Fabiana: Um, I don't know if I have plans to write another book maybe um um yeah maybe now so because my my uh four seasons talks about my first year here, um, maybe I don’t know I can um maybe something like my first year here and then I can when I complete five years here and then maybe when I complete 10 years um I think will be great to see my progress, my improving, and then maybe the story can be more large and then I can give more details yeah maybe yeah who knows?

[ 00:07:50 ] Kayley: Thank you, thank you,

Fabiana: welcome

Madeleine: okay so um hi but I asked um or I have some questions. For Vivian, if that's okay, whenever you're ready to answer them,

Vivian: yes, yes, I'm ready.

Madeleine: Perfect, okay! So I really did like your book; it was so nice and I liked all the colors-it was very nice to read. Um, I was just wondering: Do you raise your children with the same ideals to like accept all of the world's colors?

Vivian: I do; I actually do. Um, interestingly enough, I'm going to uh disclose that i for a time when I moved to Indiana, I kind of um hid our colors and I stopped uh teaching them about colors-metaphorically, of course. And then all of a sudden I'm uh kind of like I'm kind of like a giant
[ 00:08:49 ] woke up again um too long of a story for this podcast so i but just to let you know that um now it is my passion um to teach my children um and anyone else that that will listen

Madeleine: oh wow that's great um so my second question is what situations made you realize how much you need to value the color in the world

Vivian: um so and also apologize for i'm i'm a little sick so um my voice is a little rough

Madeleine: There is stuff going around right now

Vivian: yeah so i apologize to everyone and i'll try to speak as clear as i'm coughing and snotting i apologize to everyone um uh so i again would you repeat that question

Madeleine: yeah no problem i just what situations made you realize how much You need to value all the colours in the world,

Vivian: so a little bit about me, and then I'll touch on your question.

[ 00:09:52 ] Is I'm proud, uh, daughter of undocumented parents, um, they moved to the US um in about i think the 70s um to chase that you know the American dream um and i i think that's beautiful and with them you know they brought their culture which is represented in colors for me um and then after that um they gosh they taught me my culture that I love. I am a proud Mexican American. I was born here in the states but interestingly enough, you know, when I tell people I was born here but I was raised in my culture. Um I my first language was spanish um my just everything was Mexican uh in Chicago I was blessed to grow up in my culture and also have the beauty of other cultures and that is something I proudly display when I get the opportunity to talk to a lot of people and I love to show the beauty of other cultures. Anyway, so then I move here and we all know Indiana is uh different from Chicago uh and um when I first moved here I again I kind of diminished and I hid my cultures I mean when I say that, I kind of hid my identity and who I was, so then uh
[ 00:11:41 ] um, living here and kind of, um, witnessing, uh, injustices, um, towards a lot of people that are underrepresented, um, I, that, giant woke up in me once more, and I felt the need, um, I remembered my colors, and I felt the need to, to, kind of, advocate for people's colors, and also kind of, show the beauty of it, um, you know, targeting, uh, teachers of course, because I feel like a lot of teachers, um, don't see, uh, these beautiful colors and by that I mean culture, right, a lot of these, these, uh, teachers, unfortunately they've never been exposed to, to many cultures that are out there, um, and I'm speaking From here from Indiana, from my, for my small town, um,

[ 00:12:41 ] so that's what kind of my drive was to kind of be like, hey, you know there's there's so much more uh, there's so much culture, there's so much beauty in these students that you teach, um, that that are afraid, um, that come with trauma, that that like they hold so much, um, so that that was kind of my drive to writing this book and and kind of like you know representing that, um, I don't, I wish I had done a little bit more justice in my book, um, but I, I kind of didn't just want to like make sure that you know it was it was safe language for schools uh, because a lot

[ 00:13:21 ] of districts, you know they they tend to like you're very careful and in what what is being shared in the classroom so I I did kind of have to use very um soft language however when I was reading it again right now I'm just kind of like gosh I wish I wish I would have done um a couple of things differently but but yeah

Madeleine: thank you for sharing um my last question is how do you think schools can most accurately help multilingual children to succeed and also to be kind and comfortable with each other

Vivian: I think I think for that um teachers and and when I say teachers I'm I'm I'm talking specifically about teachers I'm talking specifically about those um teachers that have a difficult um time with multilingual students or students that are different, I think we we need to um offer like workshops or I don't know what that'll look like because you know we need to stop telling the children to[ 00:14:41 ] diminish their cultures to be quiet to like we need to stop doing that for the children um in my mind and just and hopeful thinking is just train the teachers to be a bit more understanding um because you know if we keep on telling the children to change, we're telling the children um to not share who they are, and I think Fabiana touched on this a little bit when she said that it was hard for her daughters to share her beautiful culture, um Brazil is gosh, Brazil is such a beautiful country with music and food and so much language and and you know it's they they speak Portuguese and they're surrounded by Spanish, you know, and that to me is like it blows my mind and I think how beautiful that is, um, so you know, you hear firsthand from uh Fabiana that
[ 00:15:41 ] her that their daughters are not easily um easily able to share their culture because we are too busy uh telling these children to be quiet and to, hey, you know, maybe you should think about changing. your colors a bit you know um because they're forced to um you know they're they're trying to catch up they're trying to learn a new language and they are learning a new culture and a lot of these children what they do is they they let go of of their identity so that they can fit in um so I I think we need to kind of assess how our education system is um here um you know and and kind of like uh focus again on in intrinsic motivation rather than extrinsic motivation which a lot of uh our children uh kind of like they focus on extrinsic extrinsic motivation which is like kind of like the the metals and and that that kind of like they forget About, you know who they are and what their passions are inside.[ 00:16:56 ] But yeah, I hope that answered your question.

Madeleine: Yeah, it did. Thank you so much for sharing.

Vivian: Yeah, thank you

Alexa: okay, I'll go next to Nancy's book. Nancy, are you ready to answer some questions as well?

Nancy: Yes, I am.

Alexa: Okay, um, so I can relate to your book because you also talked about traveling to Japan and New York. Me myself, I traveled to DR when I was little. So I wanted to ask what strategies did you use to navigate linguistic or cultural misunderstandings with your cousins when you visit them?

Nancy: Um, yes, when it's I was very fortunate. When I visited my cousins... my mom, she spoke uh Japanese to me and so I spoke it that was probably one of my first languages I spoke it fluently and so I and we stayed my dad's military and we stayed on the base um we lived there I think for four years[ 00:18:04 ] and so I was really fluent in it and so um I was able to get along with my cousins we spoke I don't remember all of it but we spoke and played games and got mad at each other and fought but um but we I understood um I understood what they were saying it was I was really blessed with that um unfortunately when my my parents moved back to when my dad moved back to states because of the military my mom went with him you know my mom She had to; she started learning English, and she stopped speaking. I think it was such a culture shock for my mom, um, you know, because coming from Japan and there was all that stigma with the World War, and you know, all that stuff.

[ 00:18:58 ] And it was really hard for my mom to communicate. When she was speaking English, learning to do English, speak English; she stopped speaking Japanese to me. I kind of lost, like, a lot of it, so yeah, hope that answers your question,

Alexa: thank you! And we kind of wanted to ask, like, if you um, visit, like other parts of Japan with your kids, do you still, um, teach them, teach them the Language,

Nancy: um, I have not taken my sons back to Japan in a long time. We kind of lost communication with them. My mom, she kind of lost communication. She had passed away, like my mom passed away maybe 10 years ago, and so um, but for me to instill the culture still with my kids, even though I don't speak it with them, I tell them about what I used to do when I was young and what my mom used to teach with me as far as um making the origami and making some of the Japanese dishes. [ 00:20:05 ] So, I've instilled that with them to just kind of keep some of this culture, the Japanese culture, within our family, and um, like pictures and uh storybooks, um, I've gotten storybooks that talk about Japan and so I try to instill that with them so they can instill it with their children my grandchildren

Alexa: when you were traveling to Japan and New York how did you adjust to school life after spending so much time there

Nancy:I think I was okay I had fun because it's so funny because when I went to New York and played with my cousin New York they played you know all kinds of games and one of the things was a double dutch that we didn't do in California and so it was just great learning that double dutch with them learning how to play certain card games uh and and just in the hide and seek you know they they lived in um the projects And you know when you're young, you're you, don't know what the project says; you just play. [ 00:21:13 ] Um, they always tease about the 13th floor, OOO it’s spooky? The 13th floor is spooky, and you know we go up there and they scare me, and you know because I'm the one that's the outsider. But um, it was just so much fun and then when I would come back to New York, to Japan, uh, California, to play with my friends in California, um, I would teach them how to do double dutch and um, I wasn't very good at it but but you know I was just so it was fun playing because it was a new game that they never played. In Japan, my cousins, they just they thought it was strange. But they tried to and then, um, learning the Japanese card games and taking that back, um, to my cousins. [ 00:21:55 ] I mean it was a it was just great mixture. I have to admit though, I didn't remember all the rules so I kind of you know clipped fibbed a little bit on the rules but, um, because I just didn't remember. But it was neat to bring back uh the different games and stuff back and forth from Japan and New York. It was a lot of fun.

Alexa: So, you said that you adjusted very well? Did you have any like teachers that encouraged you or suppressed the way you are otherwise your culture?

Nancy: Yeah, I had um when I was young, you know there wasn't very many mixed uh multicultural Kids, when I was growing up, um, and my dad being [ 00:22:41 ] African-American, my mom Japanese, um, a lot of teachers didn't accept that at all, and um, I remember even in the neighborhood, um, and this was even in the military base, um, there was a playground that was um, you could play, you know, all the kids played, you from the different houses to play in this playground, and then all of a sudden I went out there, and one of the mothers came out there and told me that I couldn't play on the swing set anymore, but the other but, you know, I was very young and I didn't know why, and I went home crying, um. I told my dad and but the other kids could play on[ 00:23:22 ] the playground but I couldn't play on the playground and then my dad said well you don't need you know I I think he was just trying to say you know spare me he's like you don't need to they're not your friends anyways you don't need to play out there anyways but it was heartbreaking as a little girl because I'm looking out the window and I'm crying because I used to be able to play out there but I didn't understand that until I got older and so even in the classroom um you know I I remember some teachers would say you know you your mother needs to learn English you know because she's an American she's American she's in the U . S. [ 00:23:59 ] now and and I think nowadays it's I'm hoping it's more acceptable but um I think there's you know there's some change but there's still a lot to do. But um but it was tough it was tough because it wasn't very many kids that looked like me when I was young.

Alexa: So thank you so my last question is do you have any suggestions or recommendations to other people who come from different cultures who might not speak good English?

Nancy: Yes to just embrace your culture and don't don't you know don't go by what other people say like Fabiana continue to speak it language in your home continue to carry that culture because that's just going to[ 00:24:51 ] mean so much when your kids get older and Vivian the colors I mean just continue to embrace your you know the culture and the love and it doesn't matter where you come from everybody you know love just conquers conquers all and and you know I just think that don't give up on on what you grew up with um I regret some of the stuff you know that I wish I had talked to my mom about more um I regret that but now I'm with the help of Laura it just really opened me up to be able to hey maybe I do have a story to tell And stuff and um and I just you know I just think that um teachers just need to be open and um not separate and just if a student is from a different country or or different[ 00:25:48 ] ask them about it you know because it's something you can learn from each other so yeah just just for teachers to be open and not to to be such in the corner or you know cookie cutter, you know we're not a cookie cutter uh environment I guess you can say.

Alexa: Thank you, thank you so much Nancy.

Kayley: So those are all our questions um Dr. Liu did you have anything you wanted to add to the podcast?

Dr Liu: Um I just want to thank Fabiana, Nancy, Vivian, so much! And it's kind of cool to have so a faculty member from New York reached out to me out of interest in this project. So, it's kind of neat to see that you're a part of this and I think it's really important to have these stories being shared beyond Indiana.

[ 00:26:43 ] Fabiana shared her story with um people and parents in Florida and um, so it's really neat um, so we I appreciate um your interest in this story in the project and um, I just resonate so much with what the um each parent shared um, I just lived overseas for a few years and um, and this kind of started with me trying to find a sense of identity and developing a children's book about nature was kind of my way to find my footing. When I felt suddenly alone, um, and I didn't ever anticipate coming back and doing this project, but every time I get to hear a story and a parent reflect on it, it is such an honor and, um, and I think it's really important to have that kind of, um, it's kind of it's a beautiful thing.

[ 00:27:43 ] One parent reflected Anna Karina that it's, it's like a seed, and then it just grows beyond you, and it's kind of cool to look up and be like, 'Wow, there's like so many interesting leaves and plants, you know, flowers that I had no idea what this little seed would, you know, be part of.' So thank you so much, and we'd love to hear whatever the podcast turns out to be, and um when you create it is it something um Well, I have two questions. One, are the parents able to give feedback or edit anything if they would like to? And then two, after you create it, can the parents share it where they might like if they want to share it with friends or family members?

[ 00:28:27 ] Kayley: Um, yeah, after tonight, we're going to edit it ourselves. And we're going to have a script too. And then at Adelphi, we actually have a website where all of our technically it's a podcast episode. So this episode will go on to the website. And you guys can check that out too. And we'll make a script too. So anyone can read it. But yeah, we can send it to you guys if you want to share it with family and friends. That'd be great. Thank you so much. And Fabiana, Nancy, Vivian, do you have any questions or comments? Just thank you for the opportunity. And thank you for the interview. I can say it really does mean a lot to us. Thank you for giving us this platform to share our stories.

[ 00:29:14 ] And yeah, thanks. Yes, thank you again for inviting us. This is wonderful to hear. I always love hearing Fabiana. I love hearing Fabiana's story and reading Vivian's. And I enjoy it so much. And thank you for letting us be part of this. Yeah, for me the same.

Fabiana: Thank you so much for this opportunity. And if someone, when listening to the podcast, if they have questions or they want to talk more about our lives, our cultures, or for us to give more details, so you can. You have my contact or Laura's contact, so feel free to reach us at whatever you want. What questions, if you receive, you want to share, please do it. Thank you so much for this opportunity. I just wanted to say thank you too for coming tonight and taking time out of your day to do this and your stories and books were amazing and we all really enjoyed them and doing this podcast. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you all. We really enjoyed talking to you. Good to see everyone. And happy holidays, everyone. Happy holidays. Bye, happy holidays. Thank you.