Current Life
Sandra and her family in Switzerland this year.
Needham
Today, Sandra lives in Needham, Massachusetts with her husband and their two daughters. She tries to visit Switzerland once per year to see her family and visit the place she grew up. She has taken her daughters to Switzerland a few times to show them the place and culture she grew up in. She states, "I think when they were little they didn't really appreciate where I came from or the fact that I'm an immigrant, but I think as they've gotten older they appreciate that background". Sandra's daughters have cousins that live in Switzerland and they enjoy seeing them and trying to speak their language.
"When you're an immigrant, you end up taking traditions from each of your countries and making them a part of your life".
Sandra tries to incorporate her traditions from Switzerland into her life now as well as the lives of her daughters. She incorporates her Christmas traditions around the holidays by having a big family meal on Christmas Eve as well as by making the advent calendar a big deal in her house. Her daughters alternate days throughout December to receive and open a gift. In addition she speaks different languages with her kids and teaches them about her perspectives and ways of looking at things as someone who has lived in Switzerland.
Sandra is now a lawyer and does a lot of volunteer work for immigrants. She believes that there is work to be done in how immigrants are treated in the immigration process, so she wants to use her work to help people with her experience.