I greet Liza as she walks through my bedroom door, her 9 month old son perched on her hip. We take a few minutes to catch up, not having seen each other in weeks. After a while, she brings up the interview, eager to tell her story.
I start by asking her about her most significant coming of age experience. She takes a moment to think, furrowing her brow.
"Coming of age...I guess that would have to be coming to the United States," she remarks, looking deep in thought. "It was an absolute life changer. I had to adjust to a community with completely different life values. I had to learn a new language." She then goes on to explain that she came over from her hometown in Russia at only 12 years old. The move was rather abrupt and unexpected,
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We tell her about the interview, and she asks whether she can stay and watch. Liza tensely tells her that she would prefer it if she left. Our mother looks hurt, but obliges, shutting the door perhaps a little too hard on the way out. The room is left in an awkward silence and I glance at Liza curiously. It seems as though something about our mom's presence unnerved my sister. Liza catches my look and reassures me that she loves our parents. Her mom is one of her best friends and she can't imagine life without her. But she admits that life would have definitely been easier if our parents had paid more attention to her after coming to America.
"My parents went MIA after the move,” she explains. “They went from prestigious careers as a doctor and a pilot to having to work 18 hours a day at basic, low-paying jobs.” Teenagers need support from their family while they are growing up. This was especially true for Liza, who was having a hard time in high school because of the drastic changes between Russia and America. Without anyone to guide her, Liza eventually found herself immersed with the wrong groups of people. She began cutting school, paying less attention to her own