That's What They Said

Immigrant Guilt vs. Your Choice

It has been almost a decade since we came to Canada to pursue higher education fulfilling our parents’ dreams and our own. In making that choice, what we didn’t realize at the time was the very high personal cost of our choice in terms of the celebrations we will miss with our family, the tragedies we will not be able to support them through, and even the mundane moments that we will no longer get such as conversations with our sisters in the car, arguing with mom about what we want for lunch...

There are many reasons we each make that choice. But that guilt - the guilt an immigrant feels for missing the moments with their family to build a life for themselves in a new country - that guilt NEVER goes away - no matter what you accomplish. In this episode, we talk about that guilt and the reasons behind making that choice.

Relationships: Our Generation vs. Parent's Generation

We’re switching things up a little and discussing something lighthearted and fun - relationships! As South Asian women, there is a significant difference between relationships in our generation vs. relationships during our parents’ generation so we decided to sit down and discuss dating, compromise, marriage and romantic relationships in general. This is a fun one, don’t miss out!

Them vs. Us: 2020 U.S. Election

The 2020 United States Election is important - not just for Americans, but for the world. So, we've decided to jump in and discuss all things American - from the election to the electoral college to the division that overshadowed the country. 

Big Guys vs. Consumers II: Tech Edition

We’re discussing the tech industry in this episode and diving into the Big 4 in the industry – Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple and their run in with the law for violating existing antitrust or competition laws. These laws exist to prevent monopolies in all industries from conducting anti-competitive behavior that threaten consumer welfare. But in this digital age, do these laws really apply considering consumer welfare can no longer hold the same meaning?

Coronavirus vs. Mental Health II

In the last episode we discussed how drastically different 2020 has been primarily because of COVID-19 and now as a result of the changes we face as we transition to a “new normal”. And with these differences, we’ve noticed that many of you are struggling with their mental health- as are we. So, in this episode we’re talking Mental Health, something that is finally being talked about more in 2020, but something that is still misunderstood and in need of being prioritized.

2019 vs. 2020

It's been 9 months since 2020 began and 6 months since COVID-19 lockdowns have been put into place worldwide. Many countries are slowly loosening the lockdown restrictions and opening up the economy, but nothing is the same. Like you, we're adjusting to a lot of changes since the pandemic so we decided to take a step back in this episode - for some self-reflection on how things have shifted for us personally and professionally from 2019 to 2020 and how we've decided to do better. 

Model Minority: Bystander vs. Advocate

It’s been a month since George Floyd was murdered. Sure, police brutality against Black people isn’t in the headlines anymore, but as Non-Black People of Color our journey to unlearn, learn and be an advocate cannot stop. The systemic racism faced by Black people in Western societies, especially in the US, is a reality Black people live with EVERY DAY. So we have to be an ally, an advocate and continue our learning every day too, not only when police brutality is in the headlines.

In order to keep the conversation going in our South Asian community, we have created this episode to talk about how the Civil Rights Movement allowed the South Asian diaspora to exist in the US and by extension in Western Countries; the origins of and deconstructing the ‘model minority myth’; the roots of the anti-black sentiments in our South Asian community, and discuss what those sentiments are.

Coronavirus vs. Mental Health

We're more than 4 months into 2020, and the COVID-19 virus has shaken up life as we know it. With over 2 million confirmed cases worldwide and over 3 billion people living in lockdown or under strict physical distancing measures, COVID-19, in addition to a global pandemic, may be causing a mental health pandemic. There are several mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and it is affecting different groups of people - from COVID-19 patients to health care and essential workers to people with existing mental health conditions and addiction issues to the elderly to everyday people - everyone is feeling the negative effects of the pandemic on their mental health. Tune in to hear us discuss this in more detail and provide some, hopefully, helpful tips.

Stay safe everyone!

TikTok vs. Medical School

Once upon a time little kids used to dream of becoming doctors, lawyers, astronauts, musicians or actors. Cut to 2020 and kids are not only dreaming, but also actively working on becoming TikTok famous! Tik Tok is the newest kid on the block to join Instagram and Youtube in changing the way we work, play and make a difference in today's time. It has become the fastest growing social media platform in the world! In this episode, we are jumping on the bandwagon and delving into the rise of social media platforms like TikTok creating new alternatives to the typical careers we are accustomed to by acknowledging that is a result of generational differences and comparing the environment and opportunities different generations (boomers, millennial, Gen Z, etc.) grew up in and with. 

Progress vs. Generation Equality

In honor of International Women's Day, we talk about how far we have progressed in achieving gender equality. We discuss that we've come a long way, with more open conversations about the gender pay gap to recognition of the intersectionality in feminism to #MeToo. More importantly, we dive into the significance of  not becoming complacent with our efforts, and to recognize that a plenty more needs to be done to break the glass ceiling and dissect the centuries old stereotypes and perceptions. Join us to hear the perspective of two immigrant women of color on gender equality in 2020.