Llanor doesn’t remember exactly how long she spent in the care of a beloved aunt – somewhere between 6 months to a year. Yet the strong bond that they forged during that time was still evident several decades later, when she again turned to her aunt during another period of transition. She explores that connection in her collage entitled “I Never Dreamed You Were An Island”.

BSP0001 - Llanor

Relocated to a small Canadian town because of her stepfather’s job, at the age of 12 Tonni asked to be sent back to Trinidad to live with an aunt. Her parents agreed and she moved to Trinidad until she was 18 years old. She credits the close ties and healthy communication between her aunt and her mother for the positive outcome.

BSP0002 - Tonni

Born in London to West Indian parents, Samantha was taken to Guyana at 6 months old to be looked after her aunts for two years, while her father furthered his education. Though she has very little recollection of those years, she believes that the time apart in those early stages of development, coupled with her parents’ subsequent divorce, affected her ability to connect with her mother for many years.

BSP0004 - Samantha

C.H. was left behind in Barbados as a boy by parents who migrated to the UK. He was shuttled to three different households where he experienced varying levels of care. Once he was reunited with his parents he became part of a stable and loving family unit, but his experiences during the separation continue to have a negative impact.

BSP0005 - C.H.

This contributor's parents were forced to flee Haiti for political reasons when she was 5 years old and she was raised primarily by her grandmother to whom she grew very attached. At 8 years old she was taken to New York with the assurance that she would return immediately but once she arrived, she was told the truth – that New York was now her new home.

BSP0006 - Anonymous

Marie was initially left in Haiti at the age of 5 in the care of a maid, then moved with her siblings to the home of her aunt. At 8 years old she joined her parents in New York where the adjustment was made more traumatic by her inability speak English and terrible bullying at the hands of classmates.

BSP0007 - Marie

Melissa was raised by her grandmother in Trinidad from the age of 6 and enjoyed a vibrant family and community life. She received regular calls and goods from her mother. At 15 years old her grandmother passed away and in the weeks after her death, Melissa was taken to live in New York to a less than stable home.

BSP0008 - Melissa

Left with her grandmother in Jamaica at the age of 2, Ashley joined her mother in New York some 14 years later. She found it difficult to reconnect to a mother she barely knew and a stepfather she had never met. She reflects on her beloved grandmother to whom she remains close and on the things she wishes her mother had done differently.


BSP0009-Ashley

BSP0010 - Betty

The Barrel Stories Project is giving a voice to the thousands of Caribbean people who sacrifice for a better life. We are creating a website where migrant parents, people who were once children left behind and the caregivers who temporarily looked after them, can share their stories or listen to the stories of others, a place where they can find community.

Barrel Stories Project

Popular tracks