The Immigrant All Around Esther Ciganda

Did you ever have students in your school that were on an exchange from a different country?

This episode is about the story of Dana Lee Johnson, a girl from the state of Idaho that would move to the Basque Country with her college sweetheart that she met in high school when he was an exchange student in her school.

Dana tells her story of moving to Ataun a small village in the Basque Country where not only did she have to learn Spanish, but also Basque since that's the primary language in Ataun and in the neighboring towns.

She shares her experience about making friends, learning languages, and teaching in a country whose education system is different than in the U.S.

Tune in to listen to Dana's story of immigration and her advice for anyone contemplating moving to another country.

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You can find Dana Lee Johnson on Instgram.

Connect with Gaizka, Dana's husband at https://www.mueblesbikain.com/

Follow the podcast on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/theimmigrantallaround/

Go to the podcast website to learn more about the podcast and the mysterious Basque language: https://www.estherciganda.com

Fermina would leave home and embark on a journey from Europe to Argentina by boat. Can you imagine?

She was only a teenager when she left home.

I'm honored to share my tía Fermina's story. In this episode recorded in January 2021, Fermina would tell me how she felt when she lost her father at a young age, how she felt leaving home as a young teenager, how she met her husband, etc.

Listen to Episode 03 of the podcast to catch her entire story.

🙏🏽 In loving memory of Fermina Bezunartea Escujuri. I'm fortunate to have this recording to share with you since we lost her in the spring of 2021.

#02 Today, we get to hear my mom, Alicia (Zozaya) Ciganda, tell her story. She tells how she received a trip to go visit her family in the United States. Alicia would go visit for a year, but decide that she would never ever go back. However, after returning to her hometown of Jaurrieta, Navarra she would have to make a decision that would take her back to the U.S. Today, we hear how my mom ended up in the United States. A different story from the one that brought my dad to the U.S. but equally unique and special. Gozatu! Enjoy! ¡Disfruta!

In the first episode of The Immigrant All Around, Esther along with her two nieces Ania & Brynlie, interview Pedro Ciganda who left home when he was 14 years old to help support his family. When he was 24, he had different ideas for his life. He had the opportunity to go on a contract to work in the United States and make some money. That one decision led to a lifetime of dreams. Listen in to hear about my dad's experience as an immigrant in the United States.

#00: In the intro episode to The Immigrant All Around hear the host, Esther Ciganda, tell about why she wants to create a podcast to showcase the stories of immigrants around the world. Esther shares her story as a daughter of immigrants and what has inspired her to be the person that she is today.

Interested in learning Basque? Grab the mini-course today: https://estherciganda.com

Esther describes herself as being multi-passionate. Check her out on Instagram in the following accounts:
https://www.instagram.com/basqueinlanguages/
https://www.instagram.com/deprofe.a.emprendedora/

Follow The Immigrant All Around podcast:
https://www.instagram.com/theimmigrantallaround/