My family doesn’t really have any special traditions. But we have done one thing together for years: watching movies. My parents were kids of the 80’s, and exposed me to a lot of what they grew up with. They were also big Disney fans and loved watching them with me. Because my parents are always busy with work, my nanny, Haydee, takes care of me. I would usually just watch movies on my DVD player. I got bored quickly and would often watch them while eating dinner by myself.  Haydee would cook dinner for me after we would play together all day.  My parents would love to take me to this one theater called The El Capitan. This theater showed exclusively Disney movies. I remember seeing Frozen in that theater for the first time. It had a very big impact on me and my childhood. That movie was unlike anything I’d seen during the six years of my life. It wasn’t like the fairytales I was used to. Anna was funny, awkward, and alone. She didn’t have any friends because she was locked up in the castle her whole life. All she wanted was someone to love and build a snowman with.  Her sister, Elsa, rejected her from any contact, and Anna never knew why. Back then, I didn’t have many friends, so I understood how she felt. My DVD player made me feel like I wasn’t alone.  

– MR

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant