Voyage LA x Paper Please

Thank you @voyagelamag for the write up! Starting anything isn’t easy but over coming the challenges are so rewarding. Who knew that opening up a shop in #ChinatownLA would be hit hard by a virus? Who knew that we would have to shut our doors after a month of being opened? Getting to share our stories during these times are hopefully helpful to start conversations about certain topics and to possibly inspire others whom want to start something new. Truly grateful for everyone/everything right now! For a small business its a very tough/scary time and sometimes we just don’t know what will happen next. ❤️I am grateful for the experience and everything I am learning during all of this.

Read the whole article HERE

Asian Americans

I have been watching the @PBS #AsianAmericans and it makes me feel so many feelings. Happy that so many strong beings have made changes to this world and mad that in ways we are still dealing with the same problems today.
Being Brazilian/Japanese and growing up In Virginia was’t the best of times. I had big glasses and somehow got categorized as Asian and at my lunch with other fellow Asians whom were from India. And when I moved to Japan I got categorized as Foreign, and got picked on for having big eyes or curly hair…really anything they could find they reminded me of it. Being mixed you never know where you fit in.
And now having a shop in Chinatown and dealing with the racism with the Coronavirus there is tough. How people can profile a Chinese American for carrying the virus is crazy to me. When I go to LA Chinatown I see more windows being smashed or vandalized with no one walking around during the day.May I add that when we went to see the space for the first time there were so many people walking around, we met tourists from all over and as soon as the chaos hit Chinatown was the first to feel it. Its sad. Truly heartbreaking to have another racist recurring pattern in American history to happen during times like these. We need to learn from the past and stop this racial hatred. I just pray this is over soon.

  • Japanese Father
Brazilian Mother, our dog Pinga and me

Very Hard Week – April 2020

never thought i would cry on camera

Not gonna lie, it has been one of the hardest weeks yet. This quarantine is not sitting well with me and I didn’t expect to cry while talking to you guys. Thats how crazy my emotions are going right now.

Hope everyone’s week was/is better and is doing well being happy and healthy! Thank you for your support!!

Let me know what other content you want to see.

Glad I am getting back into scrapbooking, this really helped me calm myself down and focus on the little things that matter, my family. My son saw this and asked if he could have it! Now I want to plan on how I can get him started on his OWN scrapbook. Idea’s running through my mind.

Sending love,

Friedia