This passport holder belongs to my grandmother and has traveled with her worldwide. She was born and raised in Guatemala. She was able to perfect her English after living in the US for a short time for her father’s residency. Her perfect English was why she could obtain a job at the Guatemalan embassy. At that embassy, she would meet her husband, who was stationed there. 
When she came to the US in 1973, she went with a different passport holder given to her by her father, but it fell apart about 15 years ago. Her original passport holder was significant to her because her father gave it to her, and everywhere she traveled, she had it with her, and she was very proud of it for many reasons. It had the name of her country engraved on it, made her feel close to her family when she was so far away and carried the document that identified who she was and why she was in the United States. She was here to stay permanently. The passport holder protected the very document that allowed her to come into this country. When she told her dad that her passport holder had fallen apart, he had a new one made for her, precisely like the one he had given her when she left Guatemala. She says she often forgets it’s a new passport holder because it’s identical to her first one. Her passport holder has seen her travel through the years and worldwide. She has grown old with it, and, most of all, it was proof that her father had given her his blessing to leave Guatemala for good.

– Bella A.

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