2 Khmerican Sisters

Putsata Reang, seasoned journalist and author, is releasing an honest and beautifully written memoir “Ma & Me” on May 17th, 2022 that explores her family’s journey of escaping Cambodia by boat from the Khmer Rouge Genocide in the 1970's to adjusting to their new lives in the U.S. Putsata grapples with her identities and relationships growing up as Khmer American, gay, a woman and a child of refugees. In our conversation, Putsata touches upon topics such as what she uncovered about herself and her family, advice for those who are caught in-between who they are and what others want them to be, and her thoughts around how we can maintain our culture and language away from our family's country of origin. We felt a deep connection with her experiences, as our Khmer family also faced unimaginable trauma, loss, and financial troubles which permeated into intergenerational trauma, shaping the way we were raised and how we view the world.

What’s the emotional toll of frequent moves during childhood & teenhood? For us, moving to a different school meant that we needed to embrace the unknown and adapt to our new situation fairly quickly. In leaving our established lives behind, we sometimes lost connections with our old friends whom we had seen regularly before. In order to survive as a new kid in town, we had to figure out how to fit in, make new friends, and integrate into the new school culture and system. It wasn’t easy to embrace change, but it gave us the ability to have a growth mindset and to persevere through tough and uncomfortable situations.

As Millennials, we grew up during the explosion of the internet aka the DotCom Bubble and, in a way, we were able to experience the best of both worlds. We recalled our childhood memories of playing outside and coming up with creative games to experimenting with xanga and myspace during our teen years. Our lives have changed drastically as technology continues to advance. 

As 2nd generation Khmer-Americans, we deal with intense pressures and expectations to do well academically and professionally to honor our family's sacrifices and make them proud. We were taught to put others before ourselves, follow the status quo, work hard to survive, and internalize our behaviors and emotions. Tough love, tiger parenting, whatever you may call it… has impacted us in a number of different ways. In this episode, we share more about our learnings and how we would approach parenting if we were to start a family one day.

Traveling internationally has a multitude of benefits like improving your mental health, communication and social skills and deepening your knowledge and understanding about the world around you. We will share our personal experiences on what it was like to study abroad during our college years at the University of Washington of Seattle. For Jasmine, she'll share about studying Communications in Italy for 3 months, while Mellissa will share about her social work experience in Cambodia for 1 month. Once it’s safe to travel more, we hope this episode encourages you, including our youth, to plan your next adventure in a country where you might not have set foot before. Take a risk and travel on the unbeaten path!

Going through a breakup is one of the most difficult transitions to navigate in life. Today, we will share lessons from our past relationships, signs we believe that are associated with unhealthy relationships, values that we want or desire in a long-term partner, and tips and advice on how to move forward from a breakup to begin healing your heart.

Season 2 is a wrap! Before saying our goodbyes this year, we wanted to reflect on our podcast / community project and how it has impacted us personally and professionally, as well as our sisterly bond. Jasmine is currently preparing for another COVID-19 impacted school year and Mellissa is on a spiritual journey to finding herself again. Thanks to all of our listeners and special guest speakers for being on this 1+ year journey with us! A brand new season will kick off in January of 2022.

Behind every delicious food recipe is a talented home cook & recipe developer! Get to know Charles Calvino, a 2nd Generation Cambodian / Khmer American, who became interested in the artsy field when he was 19. Charles loves having fun while being creative and making people feel good about themselves through his quality content. His love is around food & food is life!

Learn more about Charles by reading his full feature story: https://www.2khmericansisters.com/asian-pacific-islander-api/charles-calvino-hang

Follow his instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/charlescalvino/

Reaching adulthood status is a huge milestone! As a young adult, it can feel both exciting and daunting as you transition into the real world and start discovering a newfound freedom & a world of endless possibilities while navigating a unique set of obstacles and experiences. Coming from an immigrant background, you may find yourself lost and alone on this journey with little to no support from your parents, relatives, and friends. As your 2 Khmerican Sisters, we’ve got your back! We offer some insights into what our early adulthood years were like and guidance into “adulting” although we still feel like we’re always learning. One of our loyal listeners, Tanaka Nhong, helps kick off this much needed dialogue and asks us a few burning questions, like our experiences of transitioning from high school to college, college into the workforce, graduating without debt, being a first time homebuyer, basic financial tips & other life lessons.

Get to know 2 international students from Cambodia, Chandoung & Hao, who are currently studying or have studied in the U.S. In this episode, they share their experiences of making new friends, adjusting to a new climate, and dealing with racism. We also talked about the appreciation we have for our families, feeling grateful for being raised with the values of respect, empathy and compassion, and our thoughts on how Khmers and the Khmer Diaspora can reach out and connect with one another. Chandoung & Hao reflects on their fondest memories of growing up and being born in Cambodia (and discovering that they are both from the same area!)

NOT a Virus. NOT Your Model Minority. NOT Silent.

As Southeast Asian American women, we feel highly concerned for the safety of ourselves, our families and neighbors. We share our personal stories of when we have experienced racism and harassment, and what we did or did not do to address the harm done. We reflect on how people develop hatred when they “other” people around them. Our AAPI / PoC families have sacrificed their whole lives to help our generations survive and succeed in America. We hope our words inspire you to speak up whenever you experience and witness harm from racism and hate, and to check in with those that you love.

Kandy Robertson is a 1st Gen. Khmer-American who owns several businesses and shares what it’s like to be a women of color female-preneur! Kandy is the Founder of a luxury haircare line called, Emprəs™, that is inspired by Cambodian royalty. She’s also the CEO of Conquer Marketing, which is an agency that specializes in social media marketing, branding and advertising. Kandy talks about the intergenerational / transgenerational trauma that has impacted her life as a daughter of refugees and how she has become a stronger woman from this challenging journey. She also discusses the importance of balancing family life while learning new skills and immersing in different career paths. Reflecting on her past experiences, both personal and professional, Kandy offers many words of wisdom to those who want to feel stronger, more empowered and confident, despite any obstacles that may come our way.

In celebration of Black History Month, Darrell Nelson II, a Data Scientist from L.A., who identifies as African American & ADOS, shares his story and upbringing. Darrell talks about his personal experiences of facing racial discrimination and stereotypes and its impacts on him and his Black peers. He also gives helpful career tips on how to negotiate for the salary you deserve and get promotions. Darrell's grateful for his mom for instilling positive values and all of her sacrifices to provide him with a good education that have helped him achieve a strong sense of identity throughout his life.

Brothers David and Shawn from Arizona opens up about their painful and heartbreaking experience of being separated by the U.S. deportation law. Shawn is the oldest brother and has spent a majority of his life growing up the states. He is one of the thousands of other similar stories on how the U.S. deportation policies have stripped the lives of so many families. Shawn explains the culture shocks of living in Cambodia as an American, the realities of what Cambodians deportees face, and how he is staying connected with his family although they are countries apart.

Mellissa shares 6 biggest life lessons from podcasting: 1) Taking Risks & Having Courage, 2) Leveraging Creativity, 3) Letting Go of Perfection, 4) Listening & Empathizing, 5) Speaking Consciously, 6) Giving Back. As a podcaster, she has become a better and more well-rounded leader.

Neng Om is a 1st Generation Khmer American who immigrated from Cambodia to the U.S. at 11 years old. Neng is deeply passionate about advocating for human rights and upholding the traditional Cambodian culture as well as remembering the history of the Golden age of Cambodia, the Angkor period. She is a single mother with two young kids, who has had to overcome many struggles, including bullying and adjusting to a new life as an outsider. Neng is truly an inspiration and has many deep insights to share such as finding meaning in life and the importance of giving back.

Our Ma recounts her experiences of coming to the USA for the first time after fleeing the Khmer Rouge Regime and leaving the Thai refugee camp, Khao I Dang. She shares what it was like starting high school immediately, meeting our Ba at one of the blueberry fields in Oregon, and learning to survive and navigate a new life in a new country that she barely knew with limited resources and support. This is one of the many revealing stories that highlight the challenges and realities of an immigrant's life. Many immigrants do not have a chance to rest and heal from their trauma and are typically placed in poor urban communities with inadequate financial and mental-health support.

As 2020 comes to an end, we take a moment to reflect on the past 6 months of the 2 Khmerican Sisters passion project, celebrate all of our achievements, and chat about our goals/lessons for 2021. We will also finally answer the question of what it means to be Khmerican "Khmer-American".

Chanira Reang Sperry, a 1.5 Khmer American and daughter of Refugees, is an influential leader advocating for equitable opportunities in the field of education for over 20 years. As a Director of Student Services at UW School of Dentistry, she uses a race and equity lens to inform her work in mentoring students and teaching from a culturally responsive curriculum. In this episode, she shares her experiences of what it was like having to acculturate into American culture, raising her mixed-race children, and navigating an interracial marriage. Chanira also reveals her family’s heart-wrenching story of escaping by boat from Cambodia to the United States that moved us deeply.

COVID-19 has been a roller coaster of emotions for many people, including Soup Pha, who has had a lot of time to be idle in his thoughts. Soup is a Thai-Khmer American Singer, Host and Actor. He opens up about depression and trauma as well as the ups and downs of the music and entertainment industry. Soup emphasizes the importance of loving yourself, having compassion for others, and learning to heal from a dark past. His passion and positivity is incredibly infectious. Soup also challenges us to embrace in our Khmer roots by brushing up on our native language.

Lives by the motto, “work hard, play hard”, Anchie has traveled to 31 countries & counting. Tune into this episode to learn about the life and travel journey of a Taiwanese American Engineer.