Almost everyone has had a beloved stuffed animal growing up. Mine was a fuzzy, brown teddy bear that represents comfort, familiarity, and remembrance. When my mom was in labor with me, my grandma was in the Philippines, so she couldn’t be here to experience my birth. She bought a teddy bear for me and had it shipped here in place of her. He was named “Beebee” after my first and middle initials, B.B. Although Beebee had his own immigration story before meeting me, he has also experienced all of my migration stories. I’ve lived in Las Vegas my entire life, but I’ve moved a total of six times within the valley. Sometimes, we had to move into smaller spaces, which meant getting rid of childhood objects that I had formed an attachment to. Getting adjusted to a new home environment without familiar belongings wasn’t easy. Yet, throughout all these displacements, I had one familiar object, Beebee. Just looking at him reminded me of all the fond memories we made at my previous houses. With moving locations came moving schools. I was a timid and quiet kid which made it difficult for me to reach out to others. On the morning of my first day of second grade, I was immensely nervous. I packed him in my backpack and stepped out of the car. Throughout the school day, I was at peace knowing that I had at least one familiar face with me. This item carries stories with it. The story of a family being separated across oceans. The story of a young kid relocating within a city. 

– Brandon Pecayo

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