When my mom came to America with me for the first time, she didn’t bring anything special from back home because she wanted a fresh start without remembering old events from her younger self. My mom’s Honduran, born and raised there. Honduras carries a lot of gun violence sometimes. Due to everything my mom has experienced and seen in the past, she didn’t want to relive any of that in New York, which is why she didn’t take anything with her when she came. I’ve never felt bothered about my mom not telling me much about her past in Honduras because she’s always made sure to still help me learn more about my culture. My grandparents also play a big role in everything I know about my country. When they first came to New York, my grandma brought a big suitcase with her with multiple things she got from Honduras. It was for everyone. It had bracelets,shirts, necklaces, hats, and they all represented my country. She gave me a separate item, it was a little colorful bag that says “Honduras” on it. When she left I made sure to put it somewhere safe. She gave it to me 3-4 years ago, and I still feel connected to it due to the fact that it was made in my home country and given by my grandparents. I hope that people get to have a similar experience as me and they feel like learning more about where they come from, it helps you have a different perspective on a lot of things. I hope that I get to experience and learn more about my country when I go visit soon, so I can collect more items and feel even more connected to myself.

– Angelina Brianny

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child