Larissa - Personal Bio
Larissa and her husband have had a third child since living in the U.S. They settled in Portland. They now have three daughters.
In Russia, after 14 years of education and training as an engineer, she started working as a metallurgical engineer when she was 18 and worked for the same plant in Siberia for 16 years.
Throughout the interviews and her classroom interactions, Larissa has been careful to not reveal her refugee status. Rather she cited family and economic reasons for the move to the U.S. This excerpt is from her first in-home interview in January 2003, seven months after arriving in the U.S.
| IR: | why did you decide to leave your home country? | |
| Larissa: | I was (.) my country good very good work I eh my last work my last job metalurg engineer metalurg experience sixteen years. my husband was good work. but my we don't ( ) home. we have 1 room. only 1 room. no kitchen, no living room, no bedroom, no (.) shower, no (3) we pay money but pay rent, pay food, ((shakes head)) | |
| IR: | Okay good. um why did you come to the United States? | |
| Larissa: | ((smiles)) Uniteds um (.) I went United States I look easy. easy work, easy pay, I have f- full refrigerator. My husband work because me we pay rent, tak we:: ((tugs at sweater)) (4) we have clothes dress and pants we have (2) all. | |
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