Victoria and Alex Pial came to Vermont from Sudan to make a life in America. In their conversation recorded at the StoryCorps Mobile Booth in Burlington, they talk about the joy of having a family and share their gratitude for the people in Vermont who’ve helped them make this country their home.
“I joke with my friends that Vermont is too cold, but people have the warm hearts. That’s what kept me here. Even if it is cold, they keep me warm,� says Alex Pial. The Pials' triplets - Norbert, Michael and Ramsey - are six years old. Their oldest son Moses is seven and little Nathan just turned two.
Their conversation was one of dozens recorded during August while the StoryCorps Mobile Booth was at the Echo Center in Burlington. is a national initiative to record and collect stories of everyday people. Excerpts were selected and produced by VPR. All StoryCorps interviews are archived at the Library of Congress.