In life there are many things that define a person, such as their personality, strengths, weaknesses, actions, religion, etc. The problem is that there are people with the same trait, which doesn’t set them apart from others nor is it unique. Objects, or a belonging that has a personal deeper meaning, are what tells the story of the owner’s life. Around February, 2020 (year of change) I received a religious memento (containing Vietnamese message) that was passed down from my grandfather and grandmother to my mother then to me. This memento was first bought around 1964-1974, at first sight it looks like a mountable portrait of a church. The memento is described as an image of a church made of metal pinned to a wooden frame. My family was Catholic and that will never change, occasionally during stressful times, they would pray to the portrait and have faith that all would be resolved. When I received this My family said, “No matter where we go, this memento will retain all the memories of our family (In Vietnamese).” Upon hanging the object in my room, I noticed the engraving on the portrait said “Saigon” (the name of a popular city in Vietnam that is now called “Ho Chi Minh”) I realized that my family has been through many hardships (the Vietnam War) and they held onto this memento even after coming to America, which must explain why the memento meant so much to them. The object contained all their stress, memories, and hardships. No matter where we are, we’re still a religious family that survived a chaotic war and that will never change.

– William Phan

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