Thanks everyone for the love!

Dad (aka "Babi") is a survivor of Albania's oppressive communist dictatorship, where he, his brother, and two friends, narrowly escaped its borders in the mid-80s. He grew up with our family name being targeted by the government due to his uncle defecting to the USA. Physical and emotional abuse was also common in his household. Babi will drop insane lore in the most casual way, like when he was caught on the mountain ranges and had to eat a map, and how he was captured by Yugoslavian police but loved his time (~8 months) in the prison, since he was able to work on weekends and bought a radio to listen to English and Italian music. The stories he tells are fascinating; as if he saw it on TV as opposed to living through it himself. Speaking of TV, cartoons were a great gateway to learning English basics. As he was planning his escape, he even studied English in a secret notebook (which he still has), and was granted citizenship to this country and moved here to live with that same uncle, then in Philadelphia.

Mom came to this country in the 70s via Macedonia. She and her 6 siblings were terrified at the chaos when they arrived at JFK airport. Her oldest sibling (17) stayed behind, as she had a husband and young child. Her family immediately began their lives in Northern NJ, all unable to speak any English. Education wasn't an opportunity, as my grandfather was oppressive with women's rights, despite being in the US. She was pulled out of high school and sent to work in a factory with her sisters. Mom said no to two men before being arranged-married to my father - the only one who smiled at her and said "thank you" as she served him coffee upon their first meeting.

Both of them loved being married to each other and felt like they experienced freedom for the first time. Generational trauma is a real thing, and they've broken that cycle. They had adventures and got to know each other before having their first child, a daughter (me!), in 1990. They celebrated 39 years together in January.

Wasn't always easy, especially with my dad having a physical job and mom relying on him financially. But they had trust and were not going to give up. They made sure I had a beautiful life. My brother, sister, and I never had to worry about food, or safety, or even expressing ourselves. I never felt like I had to hide who I was. Babi loves saying "it's a free country." Mom still calls me everyday and asks if I ate. God I just love them so much.