Object and migration from The Dominican Republic

 Icono resinado de la virgen de la Altagracia, which means Holy virgin of Altagracia statue. It was the first thing my mother put in her luggage. In the Dominican Republic, it is pretty common to have one of these statues in the house. It's supposed to protect and bless the home. When my mother put it in her luggage, she said that it was supposed to protect us and it will help us face our new reality—becoming an immigrant in a country where we don't know anything about their culture or language. I grew up in a place where I am proud to call home, San Francisco De Macoris, a small city located in the northeast region of the Dominican Republic. It's a place where your neighbours feel like family, and they are always ready to help with anything you need. Before immigrating to the United States in 2014, I lived with my mother and two little sisters in DR. My father, some years before, immigrated to the United States to find work.

However, during his time here, my father suffered a stroke. As a result, my mother decided that it would be best for us to move to the United States. Having that statue around the house reminded me of where we came from, and somehow, it gave me hope that things will get better. When we moved to the United States, we didn't have a place of our own. We ended up living for a year at my aunt's house. The time we spent there, it was nice that our aunt cared for us, but we didn't feel at home. We went from having our own house back in the Dominican Republic to sleeping in a room with my two little sisters and my mother. That statue made out of wood with a picture of the Holy Virgin of Altagracia gave my mom the strength that she needed to keep moving forward, but it hasn't been easy.  Arriving in the United States in a new country where she didn't understand the language didn't make any difference. The only thing she had in mind was to work so she could provide a better future for my younger sister, my dad and me. The first two years, she worked so hard to get a job where she would stay close to us. That is why she decided to open her Daycare. In five years,, she started her own business, got a professional credential in Child Development Associate (CDA), and became a US citizen. She was able to accomplish all of this without fully understanding English.

Moving to a country where you are foreign to the language it's the number one barrier that makes the whole experience a nightmare—not communicating with others how you used it because you are afraid that they might laugh at your accent. When I started high school in New York City in 2014, I did not know how to speak English. My high school did not offer ESL courses, so I had to find outside help. That summer, I applied for an ESL course at Hostos Community College. I promised myself in front of the statue that I would never give up on my dreams. This story and many other stories about immigrants make America, people from different world places, trying to look for a better tomorrow for their families. Bringing with them objects that help them remember why they are here and where they came from.