Dependency Tree

192

NameCarmela
Genderfemale
Country of OriginPeru
Destination CountryUnited States

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s-1 I was just eight years old when I left Peru.
s-2 Until then, the only parents I knew were my biological grandparents and I was taken away from them.
s-3 I was left in their care from infancy while my parents migrated to United States as my dad had found work in New York City.
s-4 Upon arrival in NYC I felt mostly confused, like I did not belong.
s-5 I felt like an outsider.
s-6 My integration was, in a nutshell, very difficult.
s-7 I cannot recall any fond memories for a long time.
s-8 So here I was, far away from the only home I had ever known.
s-9 I did not speak the language and was now living with my biological parents and younger sister who was born in the US.
s-10 I did not really know them at all; they did not feel like my family.
s-11 My integration was not easy on them either; I could see that now, my sister and I would fight a lot.
s-12 I am also an incest survivor.
s-13 I survived 8 years of physical and sexual abuse at the hands of my biological father when I moved to New York.
s-14 And when I turned 19, my father was finally incarcerated for the abuse and eventually deported to Peru.
s-15 This had a life-changing impact on everyone.
s-16 His visa was revoked and I also left the country to avoid testifying against him.
s-17 It was a painful period for all of us - my mother and sister in the US and my grandparents and other family in Peru.
s-18 I then moved back to Peru but didnt feel like I belonged there either.
s-19 I had lost some of my native language and upon my return people kept asking me where I came from and why I was back in Peru, which was too painful and complicated to explain fully.
s-20 Eventually I grew tired having to explain that I was Peruvian and this was my birth place.
s-21 I continued to feel lost and alienated and felt like I had no choice but to return to the US one year later, undocumented.
s-22 Upon my return, education became the most important thing to me.
s-23 I worked two jobs to take me through Bronx Community College and even got married while at City College.
s-24 I am currently completing my Masters in Social work at Columbia University – this is a lifelong dream being realized and something that I feel very passionate about.
s-25 I now work with immigrant families and survivors of domestic abuse and often share my story with them.
s-26 I feel open and empowered enough to share my story with the world and I can see that it makes a difference, that my life and experiences matter.
s-27 I feel as though I can bring something unique to the table - I can identify with what many of them are going through, particularly undocumented migrants.
s-28 That feeling of being undocumented can be overwhelming, it is easy to loose motivation, to lose hope.
s-29 In the end, my life is testimony that a lot of things can happen along the way, bad things, but you have to keep going.
s-30 Set goals and keep working towards achieving these goals.
s-31 I am now happily married with a step-son and a loving husband.
s-32 My relationship with my mother and sister continues to improve over time.

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