Doing something you believe in, can sometimes feel like diving into a secret underworld that you weren’t invited to.
But does it always have to feel like that?
I know that moving halfway around the world felt like this. But sometimes even being on your phone and scrolling around to find your place on the internet—feels like this.
I’m here with John Badal, an Assyrian American grandfather who was raised by a father who speaks six languages. He talked about what he learned being in the Army, the war that separated his family, and what he and his father specifically did to find their place among strangers whose language they barely spoke.
Previously: “No one wants to die in the mountains.”
In this episode:
When you have a home somewhere and that home is in a place that is not the most sensible in terms of living conditions, what would you do?
“The Assyrians, the Armenians, and the Greeks, they made the mistake of …”
“So when his family came to the US, they were running for their lives.”
“They were put in the barracks on Ellis Island for a number of weeks.”
“She was lost in the crowd and only had three of her six children with her.”
“The storm lasted for a couple days …”
“And I wasn't old enough or wise enough to stop and ask …”
