Being a girl with brown hair, standing at a moderately tall height, weighing a moderately normal weight, it's not often that you would look at me and see someone different or unique. Throughout my life, I have always admired those who have a distinct culture or ethnicity. To me, it was something that made that person special. First of all, there are two main types of jews. On one hand, there are Ashkenazi Jews who come from Eastern Europe and make up most of the Jewish population. On the other hand, you have your Sephardic Jews, people deriving from Spain, people like me. During the Spanish inquisition, almost the entire Jewish population was forcefully pushed out of Spain, including my family. Afterward, my family moved to Salonika, Greece, where my great grandma Nona Sari grew up. I don’t remember much of my Nona but from what I do remember and from what I have heard, she was an immaculate woman. She was a prima ballerina at the Metropolitan Opera making every move she made with poise and with grace. On the right corner of my night stand lives a little metal box which belonged to her. When I look back on the little memories I have of her, I can still hear the latin accent her words spoke that always gave me a feeling of comfort. I can still smell the chicken rice and peas she and my grandma would bring over, and every time I place another item in that box, suddenly, I'm not so ordinary.

– Ava Schwartz

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more