On July 4th 1970 my grandmother, Josephine Dorsainvil left her home country of Haiti to make a new life for herself and her family in the United States.My mother, aunt, and uncle came to the United States in 1973 when my mother was only 13. My father immigrated to the United States in 1970 at the age of 21. After having two more children in 1975 and being successful in building wonderful lives for themselves and their children, my grandparents decided it was time to visit their home country in the summer of 1995, just a few months before I was born. Unfortunately, while on vacation my grandparents were robbed at gun point and killed while in their old home town. Since then my parents have not returned to Haiti, but they have found ways to remind themselves of their home, one of those ways being coffee. My mother told me that one of her favorite things to do used to be making coffee. The first step in making coffee is picking the beans off the tree. Once you’ve collected the coffee beans you dry them in the sun and then roast them over a fire. The final step before brewing the coffee is crushing the beans in what is called a “pilon” in Creole. While in the United States my parents found a brand of coffee that reminded them of home and of my grandparents. For as long as I could remember my parents only drank Café Bustello. Now, Café Bustello is the only coffee I drink and it makes me feel connected to where my parents grew up.

– Mariella Dragon

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