This is a picture of my Nana. She and my grandfather passed away in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. I chose this picture because Nana immigrated to the USA from Kinvarra, Galway Ireland. She wasn’t able to have children, so she adopted my dad. Before she died she kept asking to travel home to Kinvarra. My maternal grandfather also immigrated to the USA from Ballindoon, Sligo, Ireland. He’s not well right now, so family is very much on my mind. My grandfather now spends about half the year in Sligo on the family arbor farm. Unfortunately the pandemic has kept him in the States.

I cannot imagine the journey they went though. Lately my grandfather has been writing short stories about his childhood before emigrating. My mom loves it now because she is a genealogist. Although, my father and mother described being embarrassed by their parent’s accents or not normal habits as children. I can imagine it was very hard for them to be transplanted into a new culture. My grandfather’s siblings moved with him, but my grandmother’s sister stayed in Ireland. Also, as an older woman, I think my Nana probably had the hardest time adjusting and experienced the most pressure to blend in. Even today, its hard for me to imagine the challenging immigrant experience as I’ve only spent significant time in the USA. When I’m across the pond, I’m seen as the American. When my grandparents are here, they’re still seen as Irish after all this time.