Bokanika Kan’s family in San Diego, CA c. 1980. Back row, left to right: Bokanika’s maternal grandmother, Sieng Torng; her mother, Borin Kan; and her sisters, Lyane Kan and Min Kan. Front row, left to right: Bokanika and her sister, Emery.
Bokanika Kan’s maternal grandmother, Sieng Torng, at Wat Khemara Ratanaram, a Cambodian Buddhist temple in San Diego, CA, c. 1980. Bokanika is uncertain if her grandmother became a nun in the refugee camps or after arriving in the U.S. Because Sieng Torng took care of Bokanika and her sister, she did not live at the temple, but went there everyday.
Bokanika Kan’s maternal grandmother, Sieng Torng (front row, far left), and maternal grandfather, Chhung Pen (front row, 3rd from left) with guests and family. Food offerings suggest it could be a wedding c. 1960.