For many of us today, a strawberry is just an ordinary fruit that can be accessed anywhere, whether from a supermarket or a street vendor. But for Adamilka, who arrived from the Dominican Republic when she was nine, it is much more than a fruit. Strawberries are important to her because in the Dominican Republic, especially in the countryside, they aren't always available for every day consumption, they were reserved for exports or for the city, and she could only eat them once a year, in December. It wasn't a very common fruit for her, which made it special, like a luxury. Strawberries mean a lot to her, mainly because they are her favorite fruit, but especially because they were the first thing she ate when she got off the plane when she arrived to the United States. In that moment she realized that here it would be very easy to get this fruit and that eating her favorite fruit whenever she wanted would be a privilege she never had before. For her strawberries are a symbol of opportunities she didn't have when she lived in her home country. They represent a shift from a life where certain things were very difficult to obtain to one where those same things are readily available every day. As Adamilka reflects on her journey, she notes: “For many people, the American Dream might mean acquiring a lot of money or resources. But for me, it's about having access to a better education, to opportunities I didn't have before, and above all, about being able to work hard for a future where even eating my favorite fruit is no longer a luxury, but a real possibility.”

– CM

Relationship:  Im/migrant who arrived as a child Im/migrant who arrived as a child