Cancelled: Nicole Chung at City of Asylum, scheduled for May 11.

via nicolechung.net

City of Asylum has cancelled its event with author Nicole Chung, originally scheduled for May 11, along with all of its other programming in May.

The Pitt News profiles Timothy Vong of Thai Gourmet and Thai Gourmet Express for its Silhouettes 2020 series.

by Thomas Yang.

The Pitt News, the student newspaper of the University of Pittsburgh, has profiled Timothy Vong of Bloomfield's Thai Gourmet restaurant and Oakland's Thai Gourmet Express food truck as part of this year's Silhouettes series.

“I try to create a friendly environment and give my customers a warm welcome,” Vong said, flashing the trademark grin he gives every customer he serves. “If I see a friendly, familiar face I come out and shake their hand. As for my students, I treat them and try and take care of them like they’re my own kids.”

Each morning, Tim and Vilivan head to Thai Gourmet — their Bloomfield restaurant the truck is named after — to prepare the day’s supply of food for the truck. Depending on the season, they serve 30 to 120 people per day.

“Fresh, fresh, fresh, everyday. People support us, so we want to provide that for them,” said Vong. “I’m very satisfied and happy to be involved in the Pitt community — to meet the new students in the fall and give them satisfaction.”

The 52-year-old Turtle Creek resident is very satisfied with the life he has now, though his journey to Pittsburgh and the restaurant industry he adores actually took several decades.

Vong compared his childhood years in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, to that of today’s average American kid — spent doing chores and playing soccer with friends. But following the Vietnam War, life became harder and more dangerous for his family. In 1979, his parents made the decision to flee the country with Vong and his five younger siblings to attempt to start a new life elsewhere.

Online discussion of Akira Yoshimura's Shipwrecks, April 23 with Asian Studies Center of Pitt.

The Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will host an online discussion of Akira Yoshimura's Shipwrecks on April 23.

Shipwrecks by Akira Yoshimura explores the life of nine year-old Isaku, who lives in a poor fishing village in Japan. Aside from earning profits by distilling salt to nearby villages, Isaku's village sets fires with salt cauldrons to attract ships, which are then looted for food and valuables. One day, a ship washes ashore that carries unexpected cargo. Shipwrecks is Yoshimura's first novel translated to English.

Please join us on for an online lecture on Thursday, April 23 from 4:30 PM to 7 PM. For information, please email majab@pitt.edu.

UPMC hiring Director of International Training Center; bilingual English-Mandarin speaker preferred.

UPMC is hiring a Director of its International Training Center, specifically looking for someone bilingual in English and Mandarin or English and Russian.

This position oversees and directs all activities related to the UPMC International Training Center. The Training Center encompasses a series of programs aimed at UPMC's international clientele, providing best in class training and support for the development of their programs abroad. The Director also plays a pivotal role in supporting various business development proposal and the standardization of clinical operations in various countries and regions that are critical to UPMC International strategic initiatives. The International Training Center Director will coordinate the efforts for participants in the Physician and Executive International Health Care Management Program, the International Nurse Observership Program and other Training and Observership programs hosted across UPMC facilities. The Director will also collaborate with the UPMC International teams directing the International Administrative Fellowship Program. The Director will serve as the main point of contact with all international outreach efforts involved in recruiting participants to the programs. The Director must be an individual who is able to organize and work well within a diverse team, comprised of UPMC International and hospital leadership across the organization, as well as physicians, nurses, and other individuals key to the success of each of the International Training Center's programs.

More information available on the UPMC website.

Teppanyaki Kyoto shares new bento, kids menus.

Teppanyaki Kyoto restaurant in Highland Park (map) has remained open for delivery and take-out orders through this public health crisis, and has recently unveiled new bento and kids menus. They note, for the latter:

During this difficult time, providing 3 meals a day for your children can be tough. This the reason why we are creating a children's menu for children 12 years and younger. These meals will be served in bento boxes.
Bento #1: Fried Shrimps, Kara-age, Egg rolls.
Bento #2: Grilled Salmon, edamame, Chicken Meat Ball.

* There will be a limit of 2 orders per purchase.
No substitute individual item.

https://teppanyakikyoto.com/menu/

*If you'd like to order these for dinner, please call ahead during lunchtime (11:30-2:00) to allow us time to prepare. Orders *placed* at dinnertime will be $7 instead of $5. Thanks for understanding!

PublicSource.org: "I’m an international student at Pitt. Wearing a face mask is a fraught choice for people who ‘look Chinese.’"

Pitt graduate student Alexis Lai shares her story with PublicSource.org.

Shortly after the University of Pittsburgh announced it would shift all classes online, I received a WhatsApp message from a fellow Chinese student: “It might be better to leave ASAP. It’s going to get worse – the racism, if not the virus."

Her comments echoed my fears. Just a few hours after Pittsburgh had reported the city’s first two COVID-19 cases on March 14, a Black teenager yelled “Corona” at me as I walked into a Rite-Aid in search of face masks.

While Americans and their president were just waking up to the seriousness of the pandemic, Chinese students have been acutely aware of it since January when the virus was first reported in mainland China. In fact, international students from various parts of Asia have been steadily monitoring the news, concerned about the broadening outbreak in their home countries and its implications for their lives in America.

Duolingo hiring User Operations Manager for its English test, with background in Chinese or Japanese preferred.

Pittsburgh-based Duolingo is hiring a User Operations Manager to support its English proficiency test.

Support the operational processes for an innovative product.

We're seeking an experienced candidate to assist with our proctoring, client engagement, and customer support processes for the Duolingo English Test. Our ideal person has a broad range of experiences from supporting a workforce of remote contractors to ensuring that operational quality, communication, and security are top priorities.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Oversee workflow and process for assessment proctoring
• Establish and maintain best practices and quality assurance protocol
• Support relationships with outside agencies and institutions
• Recruit, hire, train, and support a remote labor force
• Expertly handle proctoring and customer support escalations
• Be the determining factor for test certification decision appeals
• Work closely with product team, engagement team, and leadership to ensure that all service level agreements are met
• On a rotating basis, be on-call on weekends/evenings

Performances by Korea's Brush Theater and Kuniko Yamamoto halted as 2020 EQT Children's Festival cancelled.

via @brushtheatre.

The performances by Doodle POP! by Korea's Brush Theater and "Origami Tales" by Kuniko Yamamoto scheduled for next month's EQT Children's Festival have been cancelled, along with all Pittsburgh Cultural Trust programming through June 14.

Virtual Japanese-English Reading Circle with Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania, from April 18.

The Japan-America Society of Pennsylvania's Japanese-English Reading Circle, which used to meet in Shadyside, will be online from April 18.

Mission: to promote language learning through reading and language exchange. We aim to keep positivity and motivation high while developing reading fluency, vocabulary, content discussion, and reading strategies in a fun, collaborative environment.

Meetings: will consist of icebreaker language games, discussions about book topics, questions about language, formation of reading goals, and reading strategy sharing/reflection

Who can join: Japanese learners of English or English-speaking learners of Japanese. Any proficiency level is okay, although it would help to have at least beginner level knowledge of the second language you are studying. You can also sign up for the Facebook group or Google group for reminders.

Virtual meetings are held roughly every two Saturdays---April 18, May 2, May 16, June 6, June 20---and those interested should email the JASP or connect with its Facebook or Google groups.

Wong Kar Wai's The Grandmaster (一代宗師) online with Pitt's Asian Studies Center, April 15.

The Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh will present the 2013 Wong Kar Wai film The Grandmaster (一代宗師) online on April 15.

SCREENSHOT:ASIA will be hosting a second Netflix and Ramen event. Directed by Wong Kar Wai and released in 2013, The Grandmaster is a martial arts drama that takes place during the decline of the last Chinese dynasty. Highlighting the action filled life of Ip Man, the master of wing chun (martial arts), the film spans from the 1930s to Ip Man's death in 1972. Threatened and challenged by Gong Yuitan and his daughter, Gong Er, Ip Man is chosen to represent the community of Southern masters. Even after his first fight with Gong Er and his move to Hong Kong, Ip Man is unable to leave Gong Er in his past.

Please join us on Wednesday, April 15 at 7 PM on Netflix Party. To register, please visit the ticket link found on this event page.

*Ramen is bring-your-own and will not be provided. Viewers MUST have Netflix and the Netflix Party Google Chrome Extension.

It starts at 7:00 pm and registration can be completed online.