Post-Interview Thoughts: Richie

Transcript:

It puts a smile on my face to think about how excited Richie was before, during, and after our interview. I could tell that he wasn’t just doing this for himself, to get a chance to have all this attention centralized around Richie Ramrati, but rather what his whole identity has meant in the context of his culture.

What struck me about Richie’s interview was how consequential his tone made it feel. He spoke as though he was advocating for all who feel as he does, those who help him steal the fragments that make up who he is. His roommate being one of them, who Richie said loved looking through the site, echoing those beliefs about how important it is to gain perspective on immigrant experiences within the U.S.

When I think of Richie, I think of the way his tongue struggles to catch up with his thoughts, how he persists amidst the uncertainty and isolation he feels in his self-constructed identity that is ever a work in progress. And I feel optimistic about that work in progress, about what he’ll make from it and all of the passion and effort he pours into it.

I wasn't able to have a face-to-face conversation with Richie like I got the chance to with my mother and Anita. This definitely made it a bit harder to connect with the lively and heartwarming person that I know Richie to be. A few weeks after we spoke, I asked him if he could send me a video about how he has felt since we spoke, and what kind of impact our conversation may or may not have had on him.

He enthusiastically recorded a short video for me, and I could tell that he struggled not to talk longer and deeper about all of the thoughts and emotions that had been stirred in our interview. Nonetheless, his video below most definitely reveals more about who Richie is and how he feels about this subject, putting a face and smile to the voice who opened up so much those many weeks ago.