pain

What It Is Like To Grow As A Daughter Of Immigrants

Illustration via Visions From The Inside

As a daughter of Immigrants you grow learning that life is hard work. Life is getting your hands dirty, your mind tired and your soul weakened.

You appreciate the finer things in life, like a new microwave and themed blankets. You fear the mall, the doctor even school because with every trip you risk losing your parents.
The fear you see in your parents eyes when a siren turns on and the relief right after the police passes by distorts the idea of who you should truly fear.
Your panic rises every minute your father isn’t home from work, because maybe they stopped him, maybe they took him, maybe you’ll never see him again. You worry more about who will be home after school rather than upcoming test or projects. You wake up at 4am to make breakfast for them so they can have a full meal before starting a 16 hour shift in the sun.
The whole family puts on a play where no one shows their fear and hopelessness.
So you hope and you pray to a God you don’t believe in that he is truly as strong as he makes himself seem in front of his family. You scream and shut your self up because you couldn’t do anything to help your father after he got hit by a truck and no one would help him. You think about this red truck even after 12 years, you still feel the fear you had that night and the expression of your mothers face. You remember sitting down by the door with your sister for hours just waiting for any sign that things will be okay.
Illustration via visions-from-the-inside

Illustration via Visions From The Inside

The heart gets colder, the mind cynical and the hands rough. Pain is mental at this point, it takes more to feel.
You grow up quickly even though your parents try so hard to make sure you have a childhood. You learn to never let anyone take advantage of your rights because the daughter of immigrants has the power to fight. She is raised to see what injustice is and if she doesn’t get paid for a job done she can fight. If she gets hurt a doctor can NOT deny her help. She can speak her mind and will not be broken down and sent away.
The daughter of immigrants learns from her parents struggles. She stays cold even after their fear is gone.

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Submitted to ArtParasites by Mona Io

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