Because of the lack of items or money my family had, my red and blue figure lit up my life in ways nobody could understand. Before my mother migrated and when I still lived in the Philippines, I lived a happy life of poverty. Despite our financial situation, though, my parents guaranteed my family’s happiness by providing for us in the best ways they possibly could.  One day, my father rented out the first movie of the Transformers franchise. After watching it for the first time, I was mesmerized with the idea of cars that have the ability to reconfigure into destructive robots. Over time, I constantly begged my parents to buy Transformers action figures. Of course, with little money, it was nearly impossible. To not live in a state of poverty, my mom moved from the Philippines into America when I was five years old to work as a physical therapist. After a year, the rest of our family moved in with my mom in hopes of pursuing a better life. Upon opening the door to my mother’s household in which she migrated to, I was greeted with a sight I’ll never forget: my smiling mom holding a gift for both me and my brother. In each of her hands were two Transformers figures encased in a plastic toy box in perfect condition, as if it was just bought. To this day I still have the figure in good condition and I’m always reminded about the trials and tribulations my mom faced when venturing into uncharted territory. I’m always thankful for the cultural identity my mom sacrificed to provide my family a better life and provide me my cherished Transformers figure. 

– Aikhann Casupang

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant