Where We Land
Hosted by sisters Luciana and Claudia, Where We Land is a podcast about immigrant experiences and what it’s like to live between two cultures. Luciana and Claudia share their stories and also sit down with fellow immigrants to ask, how did you get here? From navigating unfamiliar grocery aisles to embracing new customs – and holding on to old ones – every conversation brings out heartfelt stories about what being American means when you don’t take it for granted. Here, you will find warmth, humor, and candid conversations, no matter where you are from. So join us – everyone’s welcome. Want to share your immigration stories or have a question? We'd love to hear from you. Shoot us an email: WhereWeLandPod@gmail.com *Follow WWL on IG: @wherewelandpod *Follow WWL on TikTok: @wherewelandpod *Follow Claudia on IG: @claudiavl8
Episodes
This week we talk about how immigrating often means starting your career all over again or at least having to endure a setback (unless you happened to immigrate for a promotion, of course). Navigating the practical and emotional aspects of what you hope is a short term risk for a long term reward is challenging. We share our experiences and the conversations we’ve had with countless friends who have had to face the same di...
Fareeha Khan is a comedian and artist born in Pakistan who moved to the U.S. as a child. We spoke with Fareeha about the ‘family lore’ immigrant kids cobble together to fill in the blanks in their lives, not remembering stressful parts of your childhood, and mustering the courage to become an artist.
We also talked about harsh immigrant parents and being a comedian. Fareeha is based in Brooklyn and often performs there....
In this episode we talk about the concept of ‘home’ and how it can take new shapes over time. Can you have more than one home at a time? Is home necessarily a place? We also share the different things that have represented ‘home’ for us over our lives (and multiple moves).
Additionally, we talk about the culture shock of U.S. credit scores and A/C, as well as our current faves: Alex Cooper on Armchair Expert and Ira Ma...
Alex Liu, also known as the rapper LEX the Lexicon Artist grew up in Taiwan, but moved to the U.S. for college and has been here ever since. We spoke with Alex about how their multi-cultural background makes its way into their music, trying to please your parents vs living life on your own terms, and how acting helped them pursue their childhood dream of becoming a rapper.
Alex's new album Toxpsychology is available to stre...
In this episode we talk about the daunting task of raising multicultural children, how hard it feels to try to keep your cultural background alive for your kids when you’re living in a different country, and how much to push them towards it (or not). We also share our own experiences being raised as multicultural kids ourselves.
Additionally, we talk about the culture shock of school uniforms and movies dubbed in Spani...
Noemí Enchautegui de Jesús is a Senior Professorial Lecturer in the Department of Psychology at American University in Washington DC. She has a PhD in Community Psychology from NYU, and she’s developed and taught a course on the Psychology of Immigration. Though she was born in New York, Noemi was raised in Puerto Rico.
We spoke with Noemi about the difficult situations unaccompanied migrant children are exposed to eve...
In this episode we discuss the movie Past Lives (2023) and break down all the immigrant aspects of the film, as well as share how we related to its representation of the immigrant experience. We also talk about the two love stories portrayed in the movie that highlight the question: what if?
REACH OUT:
Want to share your immigration stories or have a question? We'd love to hear from you. Shoot us an emai...
Gilbert Lawand is a stand up comedian and comedy producer from Atlanta, Georgia. Gilbert was born in Iraq and grew up in the American South, which he says gave him plenty of material for his career as a comic.
We spoke with Gilbert about what it was like going to a YMCA that was still segregated, what prompted his pivot from accounting to comedy, plus, a wild encounter he had with the KKK when he was a kid.
Gilbert’...
In this episode we discuss being bilingual: how it used to be viewed as something that could set kids back, why it’s viewed more positively now, and our own personal experiences with speaking two languages.
We also talk about the Disney+ hit Andor, going to the theater, smoothies and voltage converters.
REACH OUT:
Want to share your immigration stories or have a question? We'd love to hear from you. S...
In this special episode we’re bringing you our conversation with Shawna Wells. She’s the host of the podcast Legacy, Lyrics, and Life, and she is also the founder of Seven Gen Legacy, where she coaches leaders on how to align their work with their personal goals. She helps people navigate their legacy by understanding the lessons and gifts passed down through generations, and identifying the gifts they would like to pass d...
In this episode we take a look at Code-switching, a term coined in the 1950’s that is still widely used today. We discuss what it is, our experiences with it and what it costs.
We also talk about espresso martinis, theft, over the counter medication, Wonderbread and early bird specials.
REACH OUT:
Want to share your immigration stories or have a question? We'd love to hear from you. Shoot us an email:...
Nelly Ortiz is an award-winning tech leader, international speaker and certified Design Thinking Coach. Nelly was born in the US to immigrant parents from Colombia, but her first stay in the US was brief: her family moved back to Colombia before her first birthday.
We talked to Nelly about always being on the move vs staying in one place and planting deep roots, cultural differences in dating, and the highly disputed qu...
In this episode we discuss the difficulties of dating as an immigrant. On the one hand, cultural differences can challenge the dating norms we’re used to, and the uncertainty of your future immigration status can be tricky to navigate when looking for long-term partnership.
We also talk about condos, terrible drivers and horses –both of the Peruvian Paso and carriage drawing variety.
Want to share yo...
In this episode, we’re bringing you our conversation with Dr. Nancy Foner. Dr. Foner is a Distinguished Professor Emerita of Sociology at Hunter College. She has studied immigration, race, and ethnicity in the U.S. and Europe for over 50 years.
Dr. Foner brings with her a wealth of knowledge about how immigration reshapes societies and how those dynamics shape themes we talk about all the time on this podcast. Like culture,...
In this episode we discuss the guilt immigrants sometimes feel towards the people back home or towards their country of origin after they leave.
We also talk about wearing makeup to school, mangos, kid’s snacks and cachangas!
Want to share your immigration stories or have a question? We'd love to hear from you. Shoot Us an email: WhereWeLandPod@gmail.com
Alex Klotz is an entrepreneur and marketing professional living in NYC. He is the founder of a retail business called Brooklyn Frenchy, which seeks to bring a piece of French culture to Brooklyn.
We spoke with Alex about meeting his American wife in China, juggling two languages in one household, and the French words we use in English without even noticing (déjà vu, anyone?).
Want to share your immigration stories o...
In this episode, we discuss the challenges of explaining who you are as an immigrant. It’s a fine balance between wanting to share yourself with others and avoiding being negatively labeled.
We also talk about mispronouncing words, binders vs notebooks, the World Cup and the Super Bowl!
Want to share your immigration stories or have a question? We'd love to hear from you. Shoot Us an email: WhereWeLandPod@gmail.com
In this episode, we’re bringing you our conversation with Aimee Hilado. Aimee is a licensed clinical social worker as well as an expert in immigrant and refugee mental health. She’s spent more than a decade working with newcomers, helping them navigate trauma, resettlement, and the challenges of starting over in a new country.
Aimee shares what Americans can do to support newcomers during these times of uncertainty and ...
In this episode we discuss our experiences trying to blend cultures with a partner from another country. While Luciana has been married to an American for eight years, Claudia has far less experience on this one. And yet we still both had a lot to say.
We also talk about handshakes vs kisses on cheeks, sex ed, and going to the opera.
Want to share your immigration stories or have a question? We'd love to hear from yo...
Meenakshi Chakraverti is from Bengal, India, but has been living in the United States for more than 40 years. She has a Masters in Public Administration from Princeton University, a PhD in Social Anthropology from Cornell University, and two grown daughters.
Meenakshi has taught at the University of California, San Diego as well as Princeton University, and she directed the Leadership Institute at the University of San...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.