At first glance, my charm bracelet might look like a simple accessory, the finishing touch to complete a look. But to me, it is far more than jewelry; it is a storybook of my life, with each charm revealing a different chapter.
 I received this bracelet in Sydney, before I immigrated to the United States. Friends and family gave me a collection of unique charms as farewell gifts, each one holding memories I didn’t want to leave behind. A tiny silver Sydney Opera House reminds me of the view from my old apartment balcony, where my best friend and I shared endless laughs. My bracelet became a way to carry people and places that shaped me, acting as a coping mechanism for my heavy homesickness that followed. 
Nearly two years later, the number of charms on my bracelet has doubled. It no longer stands as just a reminder of the home I left, but a symbol of the new home I have built here in Brookline.
This bracelet has taught me that identity is not anchored to one place. Instead, it can stretch across oceans, tied together by different stories, experiences, and relationships. Migration does not mean leaving everything behind; it means carrying your past with you while building something new. My bracelet reminds me daily that I am both who I was in Sydney and who I am here.

– D

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant