We’re listening to Before Me, journalist Lisa Phu’s exploration of her mother’s journey fleeing her home in Cambodia, spending 6 years protecting her family in Vietnam, and ultimately resettling in America as a single parent. We think you'll find this new podcast series from Self Evident Media to be a rich, intimate, and recognizable testament to refugee and diaspora families.
We're proud to share episode 1 of Before Me, "Firstborn". Here's the description:
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I’ve never known my mom’s first daughter, Ah Lee. I remember writing a story when I was six or seven, about meeting her on a magic carpet ride. And for my whole life, I’d always know that there was so much I didn’t know about my family’s past. But I never asked my mom the most basic questions about Ah Lee… or anything else that happened when she fled from war, and then genocide, in Cambodia during the 1970s.
That changed when I gave birth to my first daughter, Acacia. My mom took time off work, without pay, to fly across the country and visit for three weeks, taking care of her first grandchild so I could take care of myself.
Every time I wanted to talk with my mom about her experiences in Cambodia, one of us would find a reason to postpone. But amidst the happy moments and the tense arguments we had during those three weeks, we finally did sit down and turn on a recorder so she could tell me. About her decision to leave home in 1974 when a Khmer Rouge rocket exploded in her family’s home, changing their lives forever. About the rising threats of war across Cambodia that pushed her and my dad to seek refuge near the border between Cambodia and Vietnam. And about how she never stopped thinking about the sister I never knew.
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Before Me is a Self Evident Media production. The show’s Executive Producers are James Boo, Lisa Phu, and Ken Ikeda. It was created, written and produced by Lisa Phu. Editing by Julia Shu. Fact checking by Harsha Nahata and Tiffany Bui. Sound design by James Boo. Additional support from Cathy Erway. Original theme music by Avery Stewart. Additional music from Blue Dot Sessions. Audio engineering by Dave Waldron and Timothy Lou Ly. Cover art and show name created by Christine Carpenter. Audience engagement by Rekha Radhakrishnan. Thanks to Ben Kiernan for participating in the research and reporting process.
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Listen to the full series and find additional resources at https://www.beforemepodcast.com/
