2020/2021
Collection 16

8,593 Miles Away from Home

1980s; Manila, Philippines; Brooklyn, New York, USA

I have always known that my mom’s side of the family immigrated from the Philippines, but it wasn’t until I interviewed my lola,(1) Amy, that I understood how much she sacrificed to immigrate to the United States with her family.

My lola grew up in a poor family with three brothers in Manila. Life was tough, so she hoped to one day help her parents financially. Celadonio Domingo, my great-grandfather, couldn’t afford to send his kids to college. He joined the Philippine Army because they paid for one child’s college education.

Out of all the kids, Amy took this huge responsibility and attended the University of Santo Tomas to study nursing. This made her father very proud. After graduating, my lola married and had three kids. Working as a nurse allowed her to support her parents, brothers, and new family.

In the 1980s the United States needed more healthcare workers and looked to foreign countries for help. Without hesitation, my lola snatched up the opportunity and applied when they started recruiting in the Philippines. She needed to pass medical and English exams, and interviews, in order to practice as a nurse in the United States.

With a lot of hard work and a little luck, Amy was offered a nursing job in Brooklyn, New York. She felt like she had won the lottery. But she also felt scared about moving to a foreign country and sad for having to leave her family. With a heavy heart, she accepted the job, because she could earn much more money in the United States.

From the beginning, Amy encountered many challenges. She had a hard time communicating, because Americans talked too fast for her, and her accent made it hard for them to understand her. She felt like she was on a different planet. Everything was so strange in the United States: the weather, food choices, and public transportation. Her new job did not start on a good note, because she had to deal with discrimination from some co-workers.

Feeling alone and isolated, Amy cried every day during her first few months in America. This pushed her to work harder every day so that she could see her family again. Eventually she made friends and found support among other Filipino nurses.

After two years, Amy impressed the doctors, and they gave her a permanent job at the hospital. Because of this, my lola was allowed to bring her family to join her. The days of not being able to hug her children were finally over! Her heart finally felt complete when she saw her kids and husband once again.

My lola is an inspiration to me, because her sacrifices ensured that her children and extended family would have a good life. She paid for all of her nieces’ and nephews’ education, which guarantees that future generations will be taken care of as well. My lola’s story shows her incredible strength and selflessness.

Sarah Lamb; Missouri, USA

1. Lola means “grandma” in Filipino, one of the languages used in the Philippines.

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