My family lived in a tenement in Hell’s Kitchen when I was a child. My grandmother, mi abuelita, and her son, my tío Esteban, lived on the second floor. Papí, Mamí, and I lived on the third floor.

Abuelita was a little woman, but she was a big person in my life. She took me to school and picked me up every day. She taught me to read and write in Spanish, even though she only had a third-grade education. One of my favorite things to do was to eat dinner at her house and then watch telenovelas on Channel 47 with her.

Abuelita moved from Spain to the US twice. The first time was in 1920, when she was 22-years-old. The second time was in 1958, before I was born. She was 60-years-old. She died in 1991 at the age of 93.

She had a difficult life in Spain and the US, but she had lots of love for me, her only grandchild. I adore this picture of us.

– Ana C

Relationship:  Grandchild of im/migrant Grandchild of im/migrant