Before Me: A Refugee's Story, Told From Mother to Daughter

I’m Lisa. For most of my life, I grew up telling a story about how my family left Cambodia as refugees, to start a new life in the United States — but for the longest time, I’d never heard this story firsthand, from my mom, Lan.

After I gave birth to my first daughter, my mom flew across the country to meet her first grandchild. And during that visit, she finally shared the real story with me. About growing up in Cambodia, fleeing genocide by the Khmer Rouge, surviving as a gold dealer in Vietnam, building a home in America while navigating the fallout and traumas of war… and carrying the future of her children throughout the journey.

This podcast is a 5-part story that follows one woman’s life, from Cambodia to America, over the course of decades. But it’s also a long overdue conversation between my mom and me, about our family’s history — through war and violence, separation and loss, endings and beginnings.

Because while we may never fully understand the reality of those who came before us, every story is a chance to get closer. And in listening, find meaning in what’s been preserved.

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