Broken English

Asta is a therapist from Lithuania with an incredible story of hard work and perseverance. She runs her own clinic and  personally specializes in eating disorders. At 16 she was training to work at a suicide hotline while simultaneously starting her own anti-drug group in her high school. You're going to like this one!

This episode I sat down with Rusalina from Romania. She is an incredibly interesting woman, physician and performing arts enthusiast here in Chicago. Rusalina's journey has led her to opening her own conceptual preventative medical practice that focuses less on pumping people full of medicine and more about getting to the root cause patient's issues. You're going to like this one! Check out Vitallina Preventative and Integrative Care if you're in Chicago!

Charbel is an author, father and survivor of the Lebanese civil war. After a childhood of pursuing a professional soccer career, Charbel found himself leaving his war torn home country Lebanon with his family in search of a more peaceful life in the United States. Since coming here he has become an author of several books about about his favorite soccer club, Manchester United and now an autobiography called "Growing Up Blowing Up" about his life during the civil war. Check out his book on Amazon for more of the story!

I sat down with Dhenu from India on this episode. We talk about Indian culture, the half dozen languages she (and apparently most Indians) speak and what brought her to become an immigration attorney. She currently owns and operates her own law firm in downtown Chicago and talks in depth about getting that business off the ground.

From being a famous (in Estonia) actress to becoming a touring band photographer and mother, Liina Raud has an incredible life story that I'm excited to share. She was originally a hair dresser and through an incredible string of luck, she made her way into the spotlight and married an Estonian cultural icon. They made their way to the U.S. in search of a more diverse world for their children to grow up in. Let me know what you think!

Yulia is a working artist from Moscow with an incredible story. We dive into Russia's perspective of the US and what our culture has brought to them. Her family has made heartwarming sacrifices for her to be here and she's rising to the occasion. Her work is truly one of a kind. Make sure to follow her on Instagram!  She had previously written her reason for coming here and I wanted to share it with you! My Reason  It has never occurred to me that I would travel abroad and live in another country until I was about 17 years old. My High School graduation was approaching and the time had come to decide where I will be pursuing my higher education. I did not know what specific college or university I wanted to go but I have always known that I wanted to pursue an art career. Along with studying in regular high schools I have been attending the High Art School in Moscow, Russia. It was my favorite place and the only school I have actually liked. The decision to study abroad and to study in the United States was mutual between my parents and myself. My father sold our apartment to have funds for sponsoring my life and education in America. I was accepted and granted a scholarship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Immediately after approval of my visa and finalized traveling paperwork, I was getting ready to start my new journey pursuing my family’s nurtured “American Dream”.  No one in my family are artists or have any special talents in the arts. However many members of my family have an acute awareness of the surrounding political climate and the reality of living in Russia. My parents knew that pursuing an independent art career in my home country would most likely have led me to poor and ostracized existence. My mother and especially my father are big admirers and fans of the American culture. They have always shown love and sympathy for the western lifestyle and, most importantly, for the idea of empowered civil rights and freedom of speech granted to American citizens. As a young adult I was in a whole-hearted agreement with my family to leave Russia and study at a university in the United States. I left Russia 6 years ago. I have never been back since I left. I have not seen my dad or my grandmothers or the rest of my family in 6 years. Only my Mom has been able to pay me visits every year and share the news from home. I miss my family and friends very much. Talking to them on a phone or texting is a different experience than seeing in person. Not being able to feel, touch, smell or embrace loved ones for a long time is excruciatingly difficult. The complicated political relationship between the US and Russia makes travel between the two countries difficult and that reflects back on shared negativity towards taking international journeys especially for Russians. On the bright side immigration facilitates me with fulfilling the higher purpose of me and my family’s whole sacrifice: to become a free artist/woman. I have always wanted to live my life the way I want to, be able to support myself, establish my own family, make friends, and grow to be a strong, kind and open-hearted woman. I will fight to pursue my goal of becoming an American citizen and to provide my family and parents with a better future.  I have to mention that a number of people who are great artists, teachers, and compassionate individuals partook in making my life in their county a reality and, most importantly, accepted me as part of their family: Mary Lou Zelazny, Tony Fitzpatrick, Susanna Coffey, Chris Batte, Fiona and Raymond McEntee and many of my other dear friends and supporters. As for an immigrant, my new “family” is my wealth and a precious asset that I have been gifted in this world.

Fiona is an Irish immigrant, children's book author and immigration attorney who runs her own firm. She is incredibly knowledgable and her story of how she ended up here is nothing short of incredible. Check out her new immigration based children's book Our American Dream out in stores now!

This episode is truly incredible. My guest this episode opted to remain anonymous but is a PhD holder from Iran that absolutely knows his stuff. He runs and moderates a 4000+ member support group for Iranian immigrants fighting their way through the visa system here in the US. He called in from his car and explains the new federal green card policy along with how tech companies are abusing the US visa terms. Let me know what you think! brokenenglishpodcast@gmail.com

This episode was a blast to record. Izabela works as a social worker now here in Chicago but has bounced around professions throughout her life. She came here to visit in college and couldn't get enough so now she's back. I wouldn't be doing the conversation justice if I didn't mention her take on childbearing. She was great to talk to and I think you'll appreciate her insight. 

This episode I sit down with Maik from Germany. His life experience having grown up under democratic socialism truly gives him a different perspective on the direction the U.S. my be headed. He's a serial entrepreneur with a diverse background in reality, software development, engineering, small business management and even being a DJ. I really learned a lot with this one and I think you're going to enjoy it.

This episode is a JAMMED full of information for people wanting to know more about the immigration process. Jake is a full time immigration attorney who has dedicated his life to helping people through the process. This conversation completely changed the way I look at the immigration process. With this episode, Broken English begins it's switch to not only a story telling show but a resource for immigrants to find the help they need. This interview is outrageously informative and yet were only scratching the surface. Jake will be back! 

This episode I sat down with Beata from Poland! She is an immigration attorney who touches on everything from her story of coming here when she was nine and missing a friend's birthday party to move to the US to a tad of immigration legal advice. You'll laugh, learn some things and you'll definitely enjoy yourself. Don't forget to subscribe!

This episode I sit down with an incredibly interesting woman named Alicia (that I mispronounce like a dummy in the beginning) from the Dominican Republic. Her family has a rich heritage throughout D.R. including her grandfather being the very first veterinarian in the country and what it's like to live under a true dictator. It was an eye opening episode that really sheds light on the issues Dominican Republic has faced. Alicia came very well prepared and I can't thank her enough for doing the show!

This episode was flat out incredible. I sat down with Miriam, a 19 year old refugee from Myanmar. Her and her family's story is nothing short of unbelievable. Born into a civil war, Miriam's family fled to Malaysia and went into hiding. RefugeeOne helped orchestrate Miriam's refugee status and get her family here to Chicago. To this day, she still helps keep her family afloat on her ability to speak english. It's a story of overcoming every odd you could think of. I am positive you'll enjoy this one!

This episode I sat down with a stand up comedian from Haiti named Max. I learned so much about Haitian culture from Max this time around and had a lot of fun recording this. From rolling black outs to storing 2 weeks worth of water on your roof and everything in between. Hope you enjoy!

This week I sat down with a member of Northern Illinois Justice For Our Neighbors name Claudia and got her story of coming here from Mexico. It is a truly moving story that I am excited to share. We go over proper terminology for immigrants and where immigrants can seek legal help through Justice For Our Neighbors. I learned a lot and I hope will too!

This episode was recorded in Harman's apartment last fall while the show was transitioning from a stand alone podcast to a weekly radio show. Harman really opens up about his family's experience here in the U.S. and what changing schools as an indian immigrant was like.  Parts of the story are sadly tragic yet full of life lessons. We dive into a more philosophical discussion about approaching life and it's challenges and overwhelming emotions. I had a great time recording this episode. Harman's story was incredible to hear and I'm sure you'll feel the same. Don't forget to Review and Subscribe to the show!

Noe is a stand up comedian here in Chicago that moved all the way from rural Mexico to Atlanta and made his way to Chicago to pursue comedy. From following another Spanish speaking student around to translate for him to hiding his acting/comedy career from his family, Noe has had quite the journey.  I had a blast with this episode and I hope you enjoy it. 

Welcome back! Season 2 is under way and our first guest is Graciela from Venezuela. She is a good friend of mine and I loved recording this episode. Broken English is now being recorded as a live radio show! Que4 Radio here in Chicago has picked up the show and it's now recorded live every Wednesday at 6pm Central Time on Que4.org and then released as podcast. The sound quality is higher, the Que4 studio is incredible to work in and Broken English on the right path. Thank you for your support and I look forward to releasing these episodes for you!

This is the 10th and final episode of Season 1 and I've got Hongming Liu from China on the show! This episode is all over the place and we cover everything from old Chinese stories to child labor factories and philosophy. He's a brilliant man who came to Chicago on a student visa and got his PhD and JD at DePaul University. He now works as a patten attorney and finds time to do stand up comedy as a hobby. He clears up a few stereotypes and really explains Chinese culture that only be told by someone who lived it.  If you're a returning listener I want to personally thank you for coming back and listening to more of these incredible stories. If this is your first time listening, welcome and I hope you enjoy it! Follow Broken English on Facebook and Twitter for updates on Season 2! See you in a few months!

For our 9th episode I sit down with a woman from Argentina named Josefina! Her incredible story starts off in Buenos Aires and ends in Naperville, IL. While in Argentina she convinced her company to send her the U.S. and she learned English from a friend before moving here. It's an incredible story of innovation, hard work and failed bribery. I had great time recording this episode and I'm sure you will like it as well. Thanks for listening!

I have another South African on the show this week! They just keep volunteering and I couldn't be happier. This was a fun interview with Beryl who is from Johannesburg, South Arica. She moved here after living in Europe for a few years and hasn't looked back since. She paid for her plane ticket here with money won gambling on horses and lived on a horse training facility in Tampa, Florida when she first moved here. A minister helped her create a new life in the US by teaching her how to live illegally. She essentially had a fake identity once she acquired a Social Security Number and a bank account. She had to change her entire backstory to get jobs and work her way up through companies. We talk racism, Trump, Immigration Reform, 9/11, and what it takes to survive in America. Thanks again for listening to this show, it means the world to my guests and I.

This time around I interview my first Middle Eastern guest named Ali from Iran. Ali immigrated here as a teenager and ended up in Massachusetts. He and his family got his Green Card through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program. They were randomly picked lottery style to move here so they packed up and headed the US. It's a heartfelt story of a young ambitious comedian now chasing his dreams in Chicago. Thanks for listening!

This week we've got an excellent interview where I sit down with Ramiro Lynch from Argentina. His parents where political activists and he found himself studying criminal law before moving to the US for his work. Immigrating to the Chicago suburbs and trusting strangers while learning the language was an everyday task for Ramiro in his path to becoming an American. It's an episode of love, loss and finding a home. Thanks again for listening to these incredible firsthand immigration stories week after week. Please feel free to let us know how I'm doing through our website brokenenglishpodcast.com 

I've got another insightful episode of Broken English for you! This time (actually a few months ago) I sit down with a couple from South Africa and get their immigration story about moving to Chicago from Johannesburg, South Africa. Their firsthand account of their move is a bit different from the others we've heard from so far and I get to learn a little bit more about the Green Card process. Thanks for listening and don't forget to check out the website brokenenglishpodcast.com 

Hey! Another episode here and this time it's a co-worker of mine named Fernando from Bolivia. He immigrated here as a teenager without knowing a single word of english and lives here in Chicago holding down a job with me. We talk of other immigrant bullies at school, how cocaine isn't as popular as I thought it was down there and his plans for the future here in America. It was recorded back in the summer before Trump was elected so if the references sound dated... They are! Thanks for listening!

Adam Burke is a Stand Up Comedian and regular on NPR who was born in Australia, raised in Ireland during their civil war and lived in London to then immigrated to the US in his mid-twenties. It's a great episode full of soldiers, heartbreak and weird accents. We talk politics, border ideologies and immigration officers thinking Australia is French Polynesia. Thanks again for listening!

This episode I sit down with a woman who immigrated from South Africa named Alet and talk about her experience moving to Chicago as an Au Pair.  She shares a little bit into the life of living in South Africa along with the hardships of living in the United States without any of her family.  It's a tale of a little girl who grew up watching America on her TV and following her dreams has led her to actually living here.  Thanks for listening to Broken English: Firsthand Immigration Stories!

Hey! Welcome to the first episode of Broken English: Firsthand Immigration Stories!   This episode I sit down with a friend of mine who illegally immigrated to the US from Mexico at the age of 12 and has slowly become an official resident. The story is filled with laughter and struggle as Miguel describes an incredible journey from the heart of Mexico all the way to Chicago with his parents. Being my first episode I learn quite a bit about what it takes the average person to make it across the southern border. I must say, it's not for the faint of heart.   *Warning! This was recorded before Trump was elected so the interview may seem dated as far as the election portion goes.* Thanks for listening!