Neither Here nor There

Antonio Morales-Pita is an inborn writer, one who despite his struggles always kept looking forward. His grit, tenacity, and desire to always learn gave him opportunities who were impossible to get for anyone in his native country, Cuba. Living in a Communism country only made him for tenacious and more courageous. His burning desire for learning made him a scholar and a traveler. One of the few Cubans to have lived and studied in USSR, Scotland, Mexico, and have visited countless other countries, Antonio passionately shared with me what it was like living in a Communist country, how was he able to bridge two very different ideologies: Communist and Capitalism when he moved to the US, and why he never stops teaching in one form or another: via being a university professor and having taught to over 10,000 students or via his books. Some of his books include “Gladys, My Unforgettable Love”, “Havana-Merida-Chicago” and lots of other economics books including Economy and Programming of the Sugar Cane Harvest, “Introduction to Cybernetic Economics”.

An immigrant from Bulgaria, Elena has accomplished a lot in the US. She has been in charge of all COVID-19 communication and guideline setting for the city of Chicago ensuring the right measures were set in place since 2020. She shares what that experience was like and what being an immigrant means to her. 

From the Caribbean island of Dominican Republic to Chicago after spending some time in Michigan and Florida, Carla shares her experience in the US, noting similarities and differences not only between Dominican Republic and the US but also how the states she lived in were different for her. 

Christian moved from a very small country in the Balkan Peninsula, Macedonia with a population of less than 2 million people across the ocean to New York City first and then Chicago. Although very small, Macedonia offered the cultural and linguistic diversity that helped Christian in his new journey in America. He is now a successful entrepreneur, founder and CEO of his own company OXUM Corporation and shares with me the opportunities that America offered him among other things. 

Naoko grew up in Japan to Korean parents but it was a little later in her teens that she learnt about her Korean origin; there were little things which made a lot of sense much later...kind of a aha moment. She had her eyes out West, in the world of Michael Jackson and out West she came early as a teenager and then later as a young adult. Naoko shares what it was like growing up in Japan and her move to New York first and Chicago when she returned. Deciding to move to Sri Lanka for a few years was another experience like no other that has left quite the impression on her. She shares with me these experiences and the apparent differences in life between Japan, the US, and Sri Lanka. 

Faezeh shares what it is like to be an Iranian immigrant in America considering the geopolitical tensions between the two countries; her first day from the moment she landed at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago filled with countless inconveniences and where she is now. 

Alex is a citizen of the world, having lived in various countries throughout his entire life. He shares with me the experiences in Germany, while trying to maintain his Turkish identity; his life in America and how the experiences shaped who he is. Oh, and how Turkish coffee is a delicacy worth savoring.

Umeesha is a young adult living and striving in America. She came from Sri Lanka at the age of 7 and has seized every opportunity that America offered. She works hard and works with a purpose. At 20, she is already an entrepreneur who is going places. Check her LinkedIn profile and connect with her : https://www.linkedin.com/in/umeeshadalwis/

Josh shares what it was being raised in an immigrant family in Bronx, New York. His first language was not English even though he was born in the states. He wore NY style clothes to express himself and his American side. He shares the difficulties of balancing the two as a child but also as an adult.

In this episode, Kobe shares his story of leaving Ghana at a young age to reunite with his dad who had fled the country and resided in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, they made a new life for themselves. Kobi talks about his Ghanaian side and his Dutch side, how he embraces both and how he has found the right balance in raising his children with his Dutch wife.

Due to the civil war that had erupted in Syria, Osama and his family were forced to leave in 2013. Ireland was the place they chose to call home and Ireland is quite different from Syria. Osama shares with us life as a Syrian refugee and working towards his goals for his family and himself. 8 years later, he is now a software engineer working for one of the biggest communication companies in Europe.

Alejandra came to America 4 years ago, escaping political unrest in her country Venezuela. She did not have time to think it over, she just did it. Alejandra gave up her profession and old life and started from scratch. Sometimes, it is hard letting go of an old lifestyle, an old profession but it is easier if you have the mindset of "this is temporary" and that was Alejandra's approach. She is now self-employed in Chicago and co-founder of a non-profit organization helping her other fellow citizens who also had to escape from Venezuela.

In this episode of Neither Here Nor There, Eduardo Aquije shares his story of moving to the US as a teenager leaving his friends and prior life back in Peru. In the states, he was not just a teenager who was initially angry with his parents for leaving home, he also became an illegal immigrant when his parents decided to overstay their visas. Being a teenager is hard as is, being a teenager who is also illegal comes with different challenges. The hard choices Eduardo’s parents made gave him opportunities he would otherwise miss.

Kaveh Nafari came to America as a 25 year old adult who had his own set of values from his native Iran. However, he is open to new experiences and challenges in what he considers the land of opportunities, the United States. Kaveh has pursued a PhD in Economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign and is now an accomplished professional working with multinational corporations around the world. In our conversation, Kaveh talks about the importance of a social network and having a purpose which are important for professional and personal development.

In this episode of Neither Here Nor There, Gerald Olende talks with me about his experience as an immigrant in the United Kingdom and the United Stated after leaving his native country Kenya. Gerald moved to the UK on a job secondment but that did not mean he had it easy- he talks about starting over, and importance of community. Gerald is now an accomplished professional working in downtown Chicago, providing consulting services to Fortune 500 companies. Check it out

In this episode of Neither Here Nor There, Luisana Colmenares talks with me about her experience as an immigrant in the United Stated after leaving her native country Venezuela, including initial cultural shock, conscious and unconscious biases and others. Luisana is an accomplished professional, Spanish teacher, and podcaster of her latest “The Solo Female Travel” podcast. Check it out

In this episode, Brahan shares with us his experiences as an immigrant in the US; how he calls home both his native India and the country he chose later in life; and how both are a part of him.

This episode is a pilot episode for my new podcast about immigrants wherever they are in the world. Its an intro of myself and structure of the podcast.