This is an important chocolate bar that my grandfather would give me when I was younger. My grandfather had to leave his country in 1944 when he was 14. On May 18 ,1944 Russia exiled all the Crimean Tatar population which included my grandfather and his family. Officers arrived at the homes of Crimean Tatars and they were given 10-15 minutes to pack up and leave their house. They were not allowed to take any food or drink with them or else they would get killed by the officers. People were loaded onto trains and were sent to Uzbekistan. The train ride took 2-3 months and a lot of people died during the ride due to illnesses or lack of food. My grandfather was born to a family that had a good education and a good financial status but they lost everything in one night. He had to start working in car reparations at the age of 14 to support his family. They were forced to speak another language and live a life with a completely different culture. In 1989 they could finally move back to Crimea. My grandfather and grandmother came back and built a brand new house. The last time I saw my grandparents was in 2013 when I was 5 years old. In 2014 Russia occupied Crimea again and we lost my grandfather due to his sorrow. He had a very hard life and yet he didn’t give up and worked hard for everything he had. He was always very proud to be Crimean and raised his kids to be the same way. I am thankful for the moments I got to spend with him and very proud to carry the same roots as him. 

– H.U.

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant