In the year 1961 on October 27th, my grandmother left Guayaquil, Ecuador on a plane with papers to sign in order to become a legal immigrant.  No jewelry was brought as she did not have any and was finally able to purchase jewelry later through working in a factory sewing clothes. A family so big cannot migrate all together, so they were separated into groups. Some lived in Harlem working different jobs and after 15 years, her family came together again slowly in pairs of 2’s. By the time they all arrived, safe and sound, my grandmother was 40, and now deeper into her women hood. The picture was taken to remember their hardship of being separated and finally being together as a family. My grandmother keeps this photo as she feels closer to her family when times are hard, looking back at this photo to remember that all that time separated from the rest of her family, she feels one thing: Happiness. At the end of the day, family will always be number one priority to us. Whether we are separated or next to one another, we are thankful for each other.

– Daniel I.

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