When my parents immigrated from Serbia to America, they brought lots of memories and traditions with them. My mom told me stories about what women in Serbia did and what that meant for us as Serbians. When I was seven I started doing Serbian folk dance, I loved it and it was something that I would look forward to in the week. The dances were simple and we only performed for the enjoyment of our parents and the adults that came to watch. The older I got, the harder the dances were and the less I enjoyed dancing. I wanted to quit because while my friends were hanging out, I was in the church's old bar, sweating, dancing, and doing something that I thought was wasting my time. Now that I am in the oldest group, I still dread going to dance and I try to get out of it. But now I know what it really means, and it makes me proud and I know why I am doing what I do. Dancing on stage feels amazing. I love seeing the looks on strangers' faces and the proud look that is planted on my family's. I love making them proud and dancing does that. The dance costumes also make everything better because they play a huge part in the tradition of dance. The cotton, leather, and felt feel amazing while dancing, and it reminds me who I am and what I love.

– AO

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