but it means a lot to me. i used to HATE thai food. seriously. sushi was my fav food. i didn’t know at the time that it was rooted in self-hatred. like how i was ashamed to say my birth name aloud, even in the rare times where people’d ask how to pronounce it. so it was always Mike(y). i assimilated. i have always been the only Thai person in my circles, in classes, in clubs etc. don’t get it twisted, i know i’m blessed to be around other Asian folks…but it ain’t the same. to be in a room filled with some 5,000+ Thai folks in AMERIKA was incredible.
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This is quite moving. In reading this I realize how much we read ABOUT immigrant folks, AND HOW LITTLE we hear directly about the experience.

Keep writing.