My name is Ayesha Islam.I came to New York in April, 2017.Currently, I am a student at the immigrant program at Sunnyside Community Services. I want to share some of my thoughts and feelings with you. I am from Bangladesh, a country of mixed culture. We have mixed cultural influence due to blessing of modern technology, Internet, & television channels that connected our people to other culture and costume. I grew up in a loving family.While growing up my mom always gave me the impression that I have to earn it to achieve something. She did not do it by yelling, she had her own way of communicating and I learnt that. My parents especially my mom was the most important person in my life and she is my inspiration. While coming to the United States I brought a saree of my mom as a symbol of her and I always feel that she is always with me whenever I need her.My mom died in 2012. Like every immigrant, I experienced migration and I had been adversely affected by the feelings of loneliness and sadness. During my lonely days my mom’s saree was my inspiration to overcome difficulties. The Saree is the main women’s traditional costume of Bangladesh. My mom’s Saree is not only the symbol of motivation but also our cultural and traditional costume heritage that is connected to our daily life. Day by day, the world is changing and so do us. My immigration may update my lifestyle; I may adopt this culture and costume. But my mom’s Saree reminds me not to forget our original root and that is why it is important to me to keep the value of my cultural and traditional costume heritage. 

– Ayesha Islam

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant