I was born in a small town in Ecuador, where everyone was close-knit and familiar with one another. I immigrated with my family at the age of three to the United States. My dad was already living in the United States prior to meeting my mom but decided to move back to Ecuador after marrying her. After my dad got his citizenship he decided he wanted to give me a better chance at having a successful future. Both my parents were very young and I can only imagine how scared they were moving to a new place with a child. My dad worked hard for the first three years of my life to bring my mother and me to the US. There is not much I can remember from the move here but what I will always remember is the struggle to fit in. Shortly after immigrating I was put into a preschool in which I was the only one who did not know English. I remember being pulled out of class for English lessons and the frustration of not being able to communicate my words properly. However, that experience also pushed me to work harder to be heard and understood.  One of my first memories I have is the garden my mom planted to remind her of her old house. A lot of my memories from my childhood is my mom and me in that garden talking about stories from our old town. The garden is one of the biggest symbols in my life as its roots are planted in Ecuador but it has grown and expanded in the US just like my family and me. 

– XR

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child