WPSU’s TV and Digital series, Keystone Stories, explores the people, places and culture that make Central Pennsylvania unique. Monday, Spt. 25, the second episode of season 3 will focus on people who’ve immigrated to Central Pennsylvania and how they ended up here. Here’s a small portion of the episode “New Neighbors.”
Here's the transcript of that excerpt:
Narrator Will Price:
"Jungwoo Ryoo and Hyeseon Kim have lived in central Pennsylvania since 2005. They first came to the United States more than two decades ago from their home country of South Korea."
Jungwoo Ryoo:
“South Korea has some big cities. So I was born in one of those big cities, Daegu. And then I had an opportunity to come to the U.S. as an exchange student.”
Narrator Will Price:
"Jungwoo’s studies led him into a career in academia. Today, he is the chancellor at Penn State Dubois. Hyeseon also came to the United States as an exchange student."
Hyeseon Kim:
“I was born on the opposite side from where he's from. So I was born in Younggwong. I was given this opportunity to come to America on a scholarship, and I came to America in 1994. So that's where I ended up meeting my husband.”
Jungwoo Ryoo:
“I was 25, and she is a little older by like six months…”
Hyeseon Kim:
“No, ten months.”
Jungwoo Ryoo:
“Okay. hahaha”
Hyeseon Kim:
“Now, we’ve lived more years in America than in Korea.”
Yamila Audisio:
“My name is Yamila Audisio. I grew up in a small town in rural Argentina. I went to the University of Río Cuarto, where I studied history and while I was a student there, I met Eric, who is now my husband. In 2016, we moved to the Johnstown area and we started our life here in Western PA.”
Narrator Will Price:
"Alexi Casilla remembers his family's first impression of the area."
Alexi Casilla:
“I remember when we drove from Florida to here, we had like five minutes left and my wife said, ‘Where are you taking me? I don't see nobody here.’ So when we turned right, we came here and she was very impressed. This place was hiding from the world."
Alexi in TV scene: "¿Tienes las llaves?" (Do you have the keys?)
"I am from the Dominican Republic, from a city called San Cristóbal. I have my wife, Dalkis, and two boys, Alex Junior, who is 13 years old, and Alex Jhondiel, who is nine."
"I got here to the United States because of baseball, as a professional baseball player. I first signed with the Anaheim Angels back in 2003. Then I got traded to the Minnesota Twins."
"It was the first time, in Minnesota, that I saw snow. And then Baltimore Orioles. When I retired from professional baseball, I made the decision that it was time to bring my kids here in the United States. I wanted to give them the opportunity to come to school here. So I was doing my research. I read about State College and that it was a good town and the schools had a good rating. So, that was how I made the decision.”
Hear more from those “New Neighbors” in central Pennsylvania on the second episode of Keystone Stories, tonight at 9 on WPSU-TV.