My object tells an important story of my grandfather’s dog tags saved his life back in the Dominican Republic. It all started when my grandpa and his friend were going to go to Santiago to meet a cousin. They put their socks and shoes on and headed out. They were stopped by the authorities. Why you ask? Because back then the economy was very poor and somehow walking with shoes on was a sign of disrespect and people could get arrested for that and so my grandpa and his friend were smart so they planned something and they escaped running away as soon as they were about to get handcuffed. They ran through all the fields and crops for hours and hid somewhere in the bushes until they lost the authorities, but they still walked to Santiago and it was night. They went across the big crop field and as soon as they felt a bit safe there was the authorities waiting for them on the side they came out. They were scared to death and trembling, they were in front of a house that my grandpa had seen before. The people in the house were hearing all the ruckus that was going on outside. This guy came out to ask what was happening and when he saw my grandpa with the dog tags he recognized him immediately even though they really weren’t close friends. So the guy told the authorities to back off away from him and to let my grandpa go. He told them my grandpa was just a guy from the country and that he meant no harm, and that they were just strolling in the streets.

– Memphis Buten

Relationship:  Child of im/migrant Child of im/migrant