My immigrant object is a picture of my grandparents from my mother’s side of the family. My mother immigrated to the United States from Costa Rica in February of 1968. She came here to reunite with her mother who had immigrated to the United States four years prior. My mother received this picture of her parents as gift from her father, who died when my mom was only nine years old. This picture is one of the few images that exist of my grandparents together. According to my mother, my grandmother said that this picture was taken at a local hangout spot in Costa Rica where people would come together and dance called the Caribeño. With this picture my mom was able to maintain a spiritual connection with her father who was no longer with her physically and would not be joining her on her journey to the United States. My mom was leaving Costa Rica and this was one of the few items she had to remember him. This image would later serve the same use when my grandmother passed away. When she looks at this picture, my mother says she reflects on the good times she had growing up in Costa Rica. She has very few pictures with both of her parents, and living in the United States, she has fewer memories of them. This image serves as both a reminder of her parents and Costa Rica.

– Dejanira Budansingh

Relationship:  unknown unknown