The Immigrantly Podcast (formerly The Alien Chronicles) is a minority women owned & run weekly podcast that features immigrants from all different walks of life to share their immigrant experiences. Immigrantly deconstructs the archaic stereotypes of what it means to be an immigrant, a child of immigrants, a person of color and everything in between. Each episode brings a fresh perspective on the issues we address. Our conversations are complex, challenging, and oftentimes messy. But I wouldn’t trade the messiness for anything, because what we have created instead is a new, ongoing dialogue full of rich nuances.
3. OUR TODAY’S GUEST IS PARNAZ
FOROUTAN. SHE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS
LIVED THROUGH SOME OF HISTORY’S MOST
DEFINING MOMENTS. HER EARLY
CHILDHOOD TOOK PLACE IN THE HEELS OF
THE IRANIAN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION OF 1979.
4. SHE REMEMBERS ATTENDING SCHOOL AND
SWEARING HER ALLEGIANCE TO
REVOLUTIONARY LEADER AYATOLLAH
RUHULLAH KHOMEINI AND BEING
ENCOURAGED BY HER TEACHER TO REPORT
HER PARENTS IF THEY DID “BAD THINGS”
LIKE LISTENING TO MUSIC, DRINKING WINE,
AND SPEAKING POORLY OF KHOMEINI.
5. BUT AT THE AGE OF SIX, THIS COURSE OF
LIFE WAS ALTERED WHEN HER FAMILY
UPROOTED THEM TO A SUBURB OF LOS
ANGELES. REELING WITH CULTURE SHOCK
AND SPEAKING NO ENGLISH, SHE HAD TO
LEARN TO CONSTRUCT A NEW LIFE AND
IDENTITY IN THIS NEW COUNTRY THAT
WAS RAPIDLY-CHANGING TO REFLECT THE
IDEALS OF THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION.
6. NINETEEN YEARS LATER, AFTER A LIFE-
ALTERING MOMENT, SHE RETURNED TO
IRAN TO REBUILD HER RELATIONSHIP WITH
THE CULTURE AND IDENTITY THAT WAS
LOST. A LITTLE WHILE LATER, SHE WROTE
A MEMOIR, “HOME IS A STRANGER” TO
DOCUMENT HER EXPERIENCES. PARNAZ
SHARES HER JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY
WITH US.
7. OUR TODAY'S GUEST IS PARNAZ FOROUTAN.
SHE IS SOMEONE WHO HAS LIVED THROUGH
SOME OF HISTORY'S MOST DEFINING
MOMENTS. HER EARLY CHILDHOOD TOOK
PLACE IN THE HEELS OF THE IRANIAN
ISLAMIC REVOLUTION OF 1979.
8. SHE REMEMBERS ATTENDING SCHOOL AND
SWEARING HER ALLEGIANCE TO REVOLUTION
LEADER, AYATOLLAH RUHOLLAH KHOMEINI,
AND BEING ENCOURAGED BY HER TEACHER
TO REPORT HER PARENTS IF THEY DID BAD
THINGS LIKE LISTENING TO MUSIC, DRINKING
WINE AND SPEAKING POORLY OF KHOMEINI.
9. BUT AT THE AGE OF SIX, THIS COURSE OF
LIFE WAS ALTERED WHEN HER FAMILY
UPROOTED THEM TO A SUBURB OF LOS
ANGELES. REELING WITH CULTURAL SHOCK
AND SPEAKING NO ENGLISH, SHE HAD TO
LEARN TO CONSTRUCT A NEW LIFE AND
IDENTITY IN THIS NEW COUNTRY THAT WAS
RAPIDLY CHANGING TO REFLECT THE IDEALS
OF THE REAGAN ADMINISTRATION.
10. BUT 19 YEARS LATER, AFTER A LIFE ALTERING
MOMENT, SHE RETURNED TO IRAN TO REBUILD
HER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CULTURE AND
IDENTITY THAT WAS LOST. A LITTLE WHILE
LATER, SHE WROTE A MEMOIR TO DOCUMENT HER
EXPERIENCES. I AM SO EXCITED TO WELCOME
PARNAZ. THIS IS IMMIGRANTLY AND I'M YOUR
HOST SAADIA KHAN.
11. SO THERE IS SO MUCH TO TALK ABOUT AND
DECONSTRUCT, ESPECIALLY ABOUT YOUR TIME
IN IRAN, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR LIFE IN LOS
ANGELES. BUT WE'LL START WITH AN
INTERVIEW THAT YOU DID, IN WHICH YOU
TALKED ABOUT THE TIME WHEN YOUR FAMILY
IMMIGRATED TO A SUBURB OF LOS ANGELES. BY
THE WAY, I'VE HEARD IRANIANS CALL LOS
ANGELES, TEHRANANGELES. IS THAT TRUE?
