My Family In America

Both of my parents are immigrants. My mother, Lorna Julisa Gregorio-Granston, is from Guatemala a small Spanish speaking country in Central America. She moved to this country when she was only seven with one of her many aunts. Through the years I have spoken to my mother about the different struggles she went through moving to a new place. She has said that at first it was hard. When she first started school she spoke very little english but the english that she did speak was heavily shadowed with an accent. Since she came to the United States at a young age the accent went away fast and she was able to pick up the language fast. My mothers side of the family is very spread out between the United States and Guatemala. Even in the U.S they …show more content…
Every Sunday we will meet and have dinner together. Most of the time someone will cook at their home but there are those lazy Sundays where no one feels like cooking and we end up at the closest restaurant. When I was younger I hated these dinners. I didn 't understand why we had to see one another every Sunday. Now that I’m a little older I appreciate the dinners and they are my favorite part of the week. I have come to understand the importance of family and how not everyone gets the opportunity to spend time with theirs as often as I do. The period of time that made me realize this was the deaths of my great-uncle Leon and my uncle Dan. Growing up I would see them during the holidays and at family barbecues but I was never especially close with them. I knew they were family and I would have conversations with them about school and the sports I was doing but they conversations never went past that. My father on the other hand was very close with the both of them. When they passed it effected him in a way I’ve never seen. My father is a very quiet but stern man. I’ve seen him laugh and I’ve seen him angry but to see him cry was a shock. In the Jamaican culture when someone passes we celebrate ‘Nine Nights’. For nine nights we go over to a family members house, usually the immediate family of the deceased, and we cook, play games and lastly tell stories. This was the first time I was able to fully understand what death meant. This was also my first times celebrating. ‘Nine Nights’ is not just a time to mourn the deceased but it is a time to be with the people that are still alive. To me, ‘Nine Nights’ makes the death of a loved one easier to handle. For nine nights family comes together and forgets the pain for a little bit. This time in my life made me realize the importance of family. I saw for those nine nights the love and support of