Migrating to New York from Guyana South America, at the age of seventeen and leaving my family behind (mother, grandmother, brother) was a difficult time. Adapting to this new environment, people, culture, and college was a challenge, especially not having the presence of my immediate family here. My family of four became a family of three, and while it was difficult for them not having my presence in the home, it was ten times as difficult for me living in what I referred to as a totally different world. Communicating with my family as often as I can, gave me the peace and strength I needed to go through the past years. Our main source of communication was through phone calls because of the little to no access of internet in my small semi-developed village. Every other day and on weekends I would purchase a $2.00 phone card which allotted you a time frame of eleven minutes. Those eleven minutes would be the best minutes of my day. The phone card helped me stay connected to my family and help me to get through difficult times. Now, communication is much easier with whatsapp and the fact that my family now have access to internet. Another fact is that my family can now visit me in New York due to the more frequent issuance of US visas in my country. With these barriers broken and while I still grieve the absence of my family's presence with me on a daily basis, I am now more connected to them. 

– Butterfly

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant