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Pinay 'Drag Race' star Aura Mayari shares struggles as an immigrant

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<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Aura Mayari IG" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/02/01/20230201-auramayari-ig.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Photo from Aura Mayari&#x27;s Instagram account.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA -- Filipina &quot;Drag Race&quot; star Aura Mayari shared her story about being an immigrant in the United States.</p><p>In a lengthy Instagram post, Aura narrated how her family struggled in the Philippines and decided to move overseas. </p><p>&quot;l am an immigrant. My family moved here to the US for a better life. My dad was lucky to get a contract in the US and got us visas and moved us here. I grew up in a squatter area in the Philippines by the NAIA airport in Manila, called PILDERA. I grew up with nothing. We lived in a slum, a very poor neighborhood,&quot; Aura said. </p><p>&quot;There were days, when we didn&#x27;t have food to eat and my mom had to tuck me into our bed (the floor) hungry, telling me that there will be food to eat the next day,&quot; she added. </p><p>Aura looked back on how people looked down on her and how it made her conscious of her actions. </p><p>&quot;My dad worked his ass off and was able to get us out of there and eventually, moved to America, the dream land. I was always a happy kid. I was goofy and funny, happy with anything that I had, and didn&#x27;t have. Here in the US, kids made fun of how I talked. I remember a bunch of kids mobbing around me asking me to say words, and would be laughed at for saying them incorrectly,&quot; Aura said. </p><p>&quot;I became very self-conscious and hated the way I spoke. In high school, I hated doing presentations and my whole body would shake (visibly) every time I had to get in front of people to speak. I go online and type up words on YouTube just to hear how the words should be pronounced and I practice with it,&quot; she added.</p><p>The drag queen credited &quot;Drag Race&quot; for helping boost her confidence.</p><p>&quot;Until today, I stutter, I pause mid sentence, my heart would start beating so fast every time I have to talk. I get frustrated with myself because sometimes I can&#x27;t express myself fully because I have a hard time finding the right words to say. I grew anxiety around this. &#x27;Drag Race&#x27; has really pushed me out of my comfort zone, with all these interviews, press, and even the challenges on the show,&quot; Aura said.</p><p>&quot;And I shared this with the girls on the show and I love them for consoling me and help me embrace that. That&#x27;s something I&#x27;ve struggled with since moving here and it still affects me today. At this point, I really just laugh at myself. It is how it is,&quot; she added.</p><p>&quot;I&#x27;ve seen the worst in life and it taught me to be empathetic. I&#x27;m proud of where I am now and I will try to be a representative to those people who thought dreams were impossible.&quot;</p><p>The Emmy Award-winning show has featured the talents of Filipino drag queens like Ongina (Season 1 and All Stars 5), Manila Luzon (Season 3, and All Stars 1 and 4), Phi Phi O’Hara (Season 4 and All Stars 2), Jiggly Caliente (Season 4 and All Stars 6), Vivienne Pinay (Season 5), Rock M. Sakura (Season 12), Aura Mayari and Anetra (Season 15) in the US franchise. </p><p>Other franchises have also featured Filipino drag queens like Jaja and Mocha Diva for seasons 1 and 2, respectively of &quot;Drag Race Thailand” along with &quot;Canada&#x27;s Drag Race&quot; stars Kyne (season 1), Stephanie Prince (season 2 and Canada vs. The World), and Kimmy Couture (season 3).</p><p>Precious Paula Nicole is the first winner of “Drag Race Philippines.”</p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2288385" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Pinoy 'Drag Race' star Aura Mayari shared his story about being an immigrant in the United States.