My grandmother and grandfather are immigrants from Montenegro. My grandmother loves her jewelry and antiques from home however she does not have many. Most of the culture from my mom’s side is in our favorite food recipes and not in objects because when my grandparents immigrated here in the 1970s, they did not bring a lot of their most treasured items with them. The rest of my family lives in New York City and are too busy to go abroad to visit Montenegro. My grandparents wish for us to see their favorite hang out spots and stores. However, because we cannot, they decided to bring Montenegro to us, instead. In the summer of 2011, my grandmother flew abroad and brought back this jewelry box. The small box is emerald green. In the middle of the lid lies a dark green gem surrounded with a flower sequence and small shiny beading. The inside is black and is soft to the touch. To this day I have used this box to hold the necklaces family members have bought me. So far, I have a few pieces that I have received for my birthdays. My grandmother is overjoyed that I take great care of this box and use it daily. This box means so much to her because she lost a lot to come to the United States and is sad that she cannot share physical memories for us. This box is special to me because now, with this box, I have a little piece of Montenegro with me here. 

– AR

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