My Tia Vilma passed away last week. Since learning of the news, I've been thinking about how out of all the tias and tios I've been reunited with, I saw her the most, and yet, I also feel like I hardly know her.
I tried my best to see her every time I was in Costa Rica, but there was so much I never thought to ask her about. All the little details of her life that didn't seem important when I was younger, that I now understand allow us to keep our loved ones in our hearts after they have passed.
The difficult reality of being displaced from and reuniting with family abroad is that it's impossible to get to know everyone equally. You are forced to choose who you spend time with, even when you so desperately don't want to. Perhaps the distance and language barrier was too much to overcome, and getting closer to her wouldn't have been possible.
What I will always remember is her warm smile and how happy she was to see me, no matter how short the visit. I have fond memories of her and Mama Chila working as a team to prepare pupusas for the entire family. I may not have gotten to know her as well as I wanted, but I'm thankful I got to meet her and spend some time in her care.
A few weeks ago, I met this amazing human, Priscila, who is also from El Salvador 🇸🇻 and is working at the summer camp I went to for 14 years. I’m not entirely sure why but there's something about knowing someone from El Salvador is working at camp that puts a huge smile on my face.
I was only 16 when I met my birth family and didn’t yet understand the long-lasting impact that event would have on my life. So, as I look back at the past 20 years or so, I think about what advice I might give my younger self.
I often get asked for advice on searching for your birth family, so I created this page to share all of the information I have on the subject.
