As young as I can remember my grandma has always gifted me gold jewelry on my birthday. Over the years I started to gather a small collection of jewelry my grandma bought me. Some of them were bracelets and necklaces but my favorite piece of jewelry that I received was a gold medium-length necklace with a ruby stone on it surrounded by clear crystals. My grandma told me that when she was around her early twenties she was given the ruby necklace as a wedding gift by her aunt. When my grandma was in her mid-twenties she had to flee from Cambodia to Thailand because of the Khmer Rouge. The ruby necklace was one of the few possessions she was able to save. She and my grandpa went to Thailand to seek refuge and safety. Fortunately, they were able to get sponsored by church people and they ended up moving to the United States. The ruby necklace is important to my grandma because it was one of the few possessions she was able to save. Arriving in America was a struggle for my grandparents because they knew little to no English and they were in a completely new environment. They had to adjust to living in areas they were unfamiliar with, eating food that was foreign to them, and having to take any job that was available to them.  Having the ruby necklace reminded her of her home country and how much she missed it. I am honored to have the ruby necklace because it had a huge impact on my grandma’s life. 

– J

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