Ba, my grandmother

From a young age, I heard all kinds of stories from my grandmother about her entire life. Although she only spoke Vietnamese, there was a mutual understanding between us, these stories kept us connected in a way that a normal conversation could not. I would snuggle up to her for hours listening to the stories of her childhood, escaping Vietnam during the war, and her life experiences. I always found her extraordinary, yet it broke my heart that her stories have only been heard by the people in our family. Soon, her stories may be forgotten, and the impact they could've had on other people would simply be gone. 

My grandmother was a working mom. Her husband left her for another woman, leaving her to take care of her eight children, all by herself. In the wake of the war, she had no choice but to protect her family, splitting up and escaping on small boats. 

Arriving in America, she was a female immigrant who had no money, no job, and no knowledge of how to speak English, yet she had to support eight of her kids. Although she had to navigate gender barriers in Vietnam, it was nothing compared to navigating the obstacles of being both an immigrant and a woman.

She persevered through racism, gender inequality, and language barriers, all while being a single working mom. Her children and grandchildren eventually grew to become doctors, dentists, lawyers, and business owners; Ba ensured every hard time she went through was worth it for her kids. My grandmother's story is what inspired me to start What Your Grandma Never Told You. There are so many other impactful stories similar to my grandmother’s that have not yet been shared with the world, and that needs to change.