Paige & Kenny

Minneapolis, MN

“Last year, I was able to travel to Norway and spend time with my family that is still living there. They showed us the exact spot where they said goodbye to family that left for the United States.”

Paige’s story:

My family is from Norway. I love the tradition we still have of making lefse, which is a Norwegian flatbread. My grandma still makes it from scratch. I feel more connected to my heritage because last year I was able to travel to Norway and spend time with my family that is still living there. They showed us all the areas in the country that mean so much to them; they showed us the exact spot where they said goodbye to family that left for the United States. It was really important to my family in Norway that they shared those memories with me, so that I could bring them back to the U.S. I hope to pass down those traditions and memories one day.

Kenny’s story:

My family is from Vietnam. We came to the United States in 1998. My father went to work for the Marines. We still celebrate the traditional Vietnamese New Year, which is my favorite part about my culture. There’s a big festival with lots of good food to eat and good family time. Actually, my favorite New Year I’ve had was this past February. It had been a long time since I went back to California to celebrate with my family. At midnight, we had firecrackers at the temple. It’s really traditional; even back in my country they don’t do the firecrackers any more. We had an awesome time. Seeing the firecrackers brought back good memories from my childhood in Vietnam.

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