The Easter Eggs of an Immigrant’s Life

Life as an immigrant comes with surprises—the small, unexpected moments that feel like finding hidden treasures in a world that isn’t fully yours.

It’s hearing your mother tongue in an unexpected place—a subway ride, a grocery store aisle, a passing conversation—and instantly feeling less alone.
It’s stumbling upon a tiny market that sells the exact snack you grew up eating, even though you had given up looking for it.
It’s coming across a street name that reminds you of home, as if the universe left a message just for you.

Some Easter eggs are bittersweet.

Like instinctively switching to your native language with a customer service rep who looks like they might understand—only to realize they don’t.
Like overhearing someone mispronounce a word from your language and debating whether to correct them—or let them keep saying it that way forever.
Like finally being able to afford a flight home, only to return and feel like a guest in the place you once belonged.

And then there are the Easter eggs that remind you how far you’ve come.

Like realizing your childhood name—the one only family used—is now something you barely hear.
Like catching yourself craving food you never used to eat before moving here.
Like seeing a stranger struggle with something you once struggled with, and realizing—you’re the one who knows the answer now.

Because the life of an immigrant isn’t just about what’s hard or what’s lost.

It’s about the hidden gems—the little discoveries that make you stop, smile, and think:

I never expected to find this here.