The Migratory Space

With love from Barton

In this special edition of The Migratory Space you will hear five different Barton friends sharing about what they love. Each person will share in English and then in their first language. You will hear Mariia (English/Ukrainian), Jason (English/Chinese), Maiia (English/Ukrainian), Beatriz (English/Spanish), and Elvira (English/Russian).

006 Alice Koh

I'm Alice Koh and here's a brief introduction of myself. I am a Malaysian Chinese of Straits Born descent. It's famously known in Malaysian and Singapore as the Peranakans. More info here with link to my website: https://www.seraimas.com/about/ I met my husband, Shane, got married in Malaysia and entered USA through the CR1 (Spouse Visa). I have been to bigger cities in the USA when I was a cabin crew with Singapore Airlines. Spokane was my first after marriage. Job in home country: Had done multiple jobs; started out as a junior interior designer for a large departmental stores in Malaysia, flight stewardess for Singapore Airlines (Singapore), PA to Import Export German company (Singapore, Germany), co-owner and restaurant chef (Phuket, Thailand), web and graphic designer (Malaysia) Educational Background: Interior Designer, Graphic Designer Other countries where you have lived: Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Germany Jobs in Spokane: Sales assistant and rock artist in Hallmark (Previous) Current: Chef at Feast World Kitchen, owner of SeraiMas – a Malaysian food catering business with food booth in South Perry's Street Thursday Market. Current goals/hopes/dreams/plans: I just started my food catering business SeraiMas, specializing in Malaysian food. I hope to bring more Malaysian food awareness to Spokane, that we have an amazing range of multi-cultural cuisines from Malay, Indonesia, Chinese, India, and Thai. The spices are scratch made and cook with great care and attention to details. I recently offered a Malaysian food series cooking demos at the Shadle Park Public Library. Since 2016, my husband and I have traveled back to Malaysia each year to help with the less fortunate in the country. We have also assisted the undocumented and refugees in Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar and Indonesia. Since starting my food business, part of the proceeds goes to help fund our humanitarian work. This December, we are building a computer lab for a school in the oldest ancient village in Bali, Indonesia. We will be having a fundraising at Feast World Kitchen on Wednesday, October 30th and I hope Spokane will come all out to buy our Malaysian food and support our cause. SeraiMas Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SeraiMas/ [https://SeraiMas] SeraiMas Website: https://www.seraimas.com/ [https://SeraiMas] FoodTravelFamily (Humanitarian work): https://foodtravelfamily.com/humanitarian/ [https://FoodTravelFamily]

005 Maisa Abudayha

Maisa Abudayha and her family immigrated to Spokane, Washington from Jordan. Since their arrival, Maisa has successfully established herself as an advocate for women and an entrepreneur who nurtures hospitality. She also specializes in sharing Levantine cuisine with the Spokane community. In 2023, the YWCA/Spokane honored Maisa with their Woman of Achievement Award stating, "Maisa has become an incredible presence and voice within our community and has established herself and Feast World Kitchen as a permanent fixture in Spokane's culinary and cultural landscape." To learn more about Maisa go to: https://www.feastworldkitchen.org/about [https://www.feastworldkitchen.org/about] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DZ8sM-5BXc [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DZ8sM-5BXc] https://ywcaspokane.org/blog-2023-woa-honorees/#:~:text=Maisa%20has%20become%20an%20incredible,award%20for%20Arts%20and%20Culture. [https://ywcaspokane.org/blog-2023-woa-honorees/#:~:text=Maisa%20has%20become%20an%20incredible,award%20for%20Arts%20and%20Culture.] https://www.northwestharvest.org/news-insights/food-for-thought-july-2023/ [https://www.northwestharvest.org/news-insights/food-for-thought-july-2023/] https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/15723-pantry-fuel-acquired [https://www.spokanejournal.com/articles/15723-pantry-fuel-acquired] https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/feb/24/feast-world-kitchens-founder-builds-connections-th/ [https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/feb/24/feast-world-kitchens-founder-builds-connections-th/]

004 Carolina Hernandez Macias

In this podcast, Glen talks with Carolina Hernandez Macias from Bogota, Colombia. Bonus Content: To learn more about our guest simply click "read more". "My name is Carolina Hernandez Macias, with two last names, two family names, like most Colombians. I'm from Bogota (Colombia), a crowded city that was my home for 40 years. I like cats, fall, trees and fresh fruit juices. I don't like whisky, insects, white lights, and Sci-fi movies. I come from a Bogota's middle-class family with a generous father, a disciplined mother and two younger brothers that are two amazing friends too. As kids, with my family we used to travel a lot for vacation, mostly by car, driving for kilometers to our destination, stopping in small towns for lunch or to stay the night. I bear lovely memories from those trips. I studied engineering, management and I have a master's degree in occupational safety. I follow my father's professional steps and now I'm the manager of the company he founded, Riesgos y Soluciones—which you can translate as "Risks and solutions". I have worked in our company since 2011 but I made a recess of two years to work in a different field and studying English. I returned to the company because my father got sick and passed away, very fast, unexpectedly, very painful, a goodbye that I never finish to say. I have a lot of friends in Bogota. They're my support group and my advising team. I really enjoy their company and the different types of conversation that I have with each of them. I met my friends mostly in my K-12, at college, and at the gym. I married my husband Alejandro in 2021. He's an amazing human being. He is also from Bogota and maybe because of that, or maybe because of luck, we have a lot in common. But it is because of him that I live in Spokane. He has been living in this country for a long while and we decided that I could move here if I move my job online, so by now, I am a Latina in Spokane, a wife without kids, with two cats, and my company's manager who works remotely. Besides my work, I enjoy learning and having activities that enhance my creativity and knowledge and that allow me to connect with more people and with more diverse topics. For example, 5 years ago I learned how to and became a homemade soap maker, focusing my design skills in colorful and fun soaps. I have been going to the gym for about 20 years, training a good deal on weightlifting. I'm part of a book club here in Spokane and I read a book per month, in English. I also like running, and I've participated in tree 10k runs (two in Bogota and one in Spokane) and in two Bloomsday runs. I have also learnt how to make apple pie from scratch, and I love to make pies in fall and winter."

003 Konyongo Akour 6 18 24

In this episode, Glen talks with Konyongo Akour from Ethiopia. Konyongo left Ethiopia at age fifteen and entered a refugee camp in Kenya. During her twelve years in the refugee camp, she married and gave birth to two children. In 2016, she and her husband and two children arrived in the United States as refugees. In 2019, she gave birth to her third child. In addition to making delicious Ethoipian cuisine, Konyongo has succeeded in getting US citizenship and a stable full-time job. She and her husband now own a home and are both active members in their community.