My mom came to the United States of America  when she was just a child. She left because of the Vietnam war. Her town was being taken over by the communist government. Her mom was the only one who left with her.  Her father died when she was just two years old in a car accident because he wasn't wearing his seatbelt. Her grandfather was a very well respected military general, and my grandmother was offered to leave Vietnam by helicopter. The catch was that she couldn't take my mom. She couldn't bring herself to do it and left Vietnam on a boat with hundreds  of other refugees trying to escape. The journey was treacherous. They drifted for two weeks with almost no food and water. The sun was so hot she got blisters all over her skin that are still scars to this day.  The sweatshirt she wore on the boat trip is my artifact. You might wonder, if it was so hot why would she wear a sweater? There were many thieves on the boat and her family hid all their money in the sweater so no one could steal it. She told me she wore it for the whole two weeks despite being overheated. I picked this item because it is an artifact that will always remind me of the sacrifices my mother and my family made for a better life and for future generations to come to the United States. From a little girl in Vietnam she's now a business woman and a mother  in New York City. This really showed me how almost anything is possible if you work hard enough. 

– HG

Relationship:  Im/migrant Im/migrant