A Catalogue of Memories

A screenshot of my conversation with Jerllin Cheng in December 2021.

We are just under two weeks away from Lunar New Year. This year, I am grateful for the technology that has enabled me to interview people across the globe and for their generosity in sharing their memories with me. As I listen and reflect on our conversations, I am also cataloging and organizing their memories for Family Association.

I have been thinking about how best to organize the themes from our conversations. The interviewees span different generations, from someone who came to the United States earlier in the 20th century to those who have since emigrated elsewhere. What ties these Chinese-American individuals together are shared memories of their families. The stories of how their parents struggled to relocate to the U.S. and raise a family represent a small fraction of thousands (millions?) of families who similarly pursued the American Dream.

I’m working on Jerllin Cheng’s interview today, which is the fourth one that I have processed so far. I decided to color-code parts of the interview according to the most salient themes that have emerged: memories of their immediate family, memories of their extended family, memories about growing up, memories of Chinatown, and the legacy they hope to offer for future Chinese-Americans. You can see a screenshot of the color-coded interview above. It’s an exciting way to visualize a 30-minute conversation that helps me see the connections even more clearly.