My grandmother was born in 1954, she grew up in Portugal until she was 16. Her second oldest brother had gone to the UK for a job opportunity. When he came back, my grandmother's parents decided that the UK would be an interesting place to live. The hilly landscape and chance for new opportunities sounded appealing. In June 1970 my Grandmother, her parents, and six of her siblings started a new life in the UK. They bought a mobile home. It wasn't the biggest place ever. It was in fact cramped, some slept on the floor while others got the couch, and the parents slept in the only bedroom. After a while her dad found out that he didn’t like the UK. He went back to Portugal, leaving his family. While he was back in Portugal, his mother had passed away, so he sent a telegram with minimal words to my great-grandmother telling her to come back to Portugal for his mother’s funeral. So she did, leaving my Grandmother alone to look after all of her siblings herself, she was still 16 years old. When her mother came back a month later, they enrolled the four of the youngest siblings in school. My Grandmother got into college and did a two-year secretary course in London. While she was there she met my grandfather in 1973. They got married in 1979 and made their way to South Dakota, starting their new lives. The object I chose may not have been with her for her story, but it was a gift she gave to me that now reminds me of her and her story.

– Rosie R.

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