February Life Updates
What's New
I Bossed Up and Bought a House!
This was one of the hardest things I've done. Y'all. I am a child of Cambodian refugees. My family had to come here after living through the traumas of war and genocide and didn't have the easiest time resettling in the United States. I work at a non-profit. I've been the sole income earner for my family and taking care of my parents for some years. It was a long and hard road, but it's done!
My parents have resettled in the new house, and they love it. It is everything I wanted it to be and everything they needed. I am so looking forward to giving updates on our homemaking projects. My mom, who is an avid gardener, started clearing out the weeds and overgrowth in the backyard, pretty much immediately after moving in. I can't wait to see how the space transforms.
Working with the land and growing food for friends and family has given her great peace over the years, as it was something she grew up doing in the countryside of Kompong Speu. Having a nice-sized yard is an absolute blessing. The plan is to create this garden with my mom to be a gathering space for artists and the Southeast Asian refugee community in Sacramento and the Bay Area. More later! But if you'd like to support this endeavor and follow this journey, I invite you to subscribe as a full-access member.
YouTube Channel Updates
I had some shows with 401k Dance Company and also participated in some filmed/performance workshops. Feel free to peruse and subscribe to the channel.
What's Next
401k Dance Company holds classes every week!
401k Dance Company Classes are held every Sunday, 12:30-2pm at Full Out Studios in Oakland. Instructors rotate weekly and are members/alumni of the dance company as well as friends of the company. Classes are typically all levels or intermediate/advanced. 401k's social media is updated regularly and you can find out the latest on who is teaching there. If you like 401k's style, this is the place to be. Come to have fun! We all just want to dance together.
Support API Youth Movement and Power Building in Oakland
As some of you know, I am one of the Co-Directors at AYPAL: Building API Community Power. This year, we are celebrating 26 years of service and the 26th annual May Arts Festival! AYPAL's mission is to empower Oakland’s low-income Asian & Pacific Islander immigrant and refugee families to be leaders for school reform and neighborhood change. Our work in recent years include passing and now implementing the Oakland Youth Vote, a measure enabling 16- and 17-year-olds in Oakland to vote for their school board representative, as well as engaging the community in the creation of the Cambodian and Vietnamese ethnic studies model curricula.
The May Arts Festival is a performance arts event where, after engaging in several months of political education workshops, AYPAL youth learn various cultural (traditional and modern) art forms for documenting and sharing their experiences. Some of the arts practiced in this space have been the Coconut Dance, Tinikling, Vietnamese fan dance, guerilla theater, and spoken word poetry, amongst others. I'm looking for sponsors, folks! And if you are feeling generous or can point me in the direction of private donors and corporate sponsors who want to support API youth leadership and movement building in Oakland, please send them my way at rhummanee@aypal.org. Thank you, in advance!