When I was two years old, my parents moved to the United States, and I lived with my grandparents for the next nine years.

My grandparents would always tell me  stories about their childhood, especially my grandma, who would go into detail about her life as a little girl in Acajutla. She would tell me stories about the war and how she lived life with her parents and her siblings near the beach. I loved those stories. It was the best childhood!
When I turned 11, my mom decided to bring me to the United States. I did not want to leave my grandparents, because after my mom and my dad left me, my grandparents were basically my parents. They raised me. They were all I knew. But I didn’t have a choice.

At first, I was really depressed about the change I was going through in my life, but that all changed a few years later.
Three years later, I found out that one of my aunts was visiting me. When my aunt arrived, she brought me a red and white purse. It was a gift from my grandmother, who had made it herself from hilo de seda.

When I called my grandmother to say thank you, she told me that she made the purse so that I will never forget her, even if I never get the opportunity to see her again. This purse gives me the power to be a better person and to always make sure that I pay more attention to the people around me and recognize the people who are important in my life. Like my grandmother used to say, “Nunca dejes a las personas que te aprecian.” And I never will.

– KM

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant