It's Me

Amma's voice crackled through the phone from Srivilliputhur. "Beta, you earned rewards again?" I smiled at her confusion with the app. Those PAYBO points felt insignificant compared to her pride hearing my name announced at work. Being Tamil in this sprawling city meant carrying home within me—her recipes, her prayers, her belief that I could belong anywhere. When I sent those points converting to donations for our temple back home, something shifted. Recognition came not just through screens, but through Amma's tears knowing I remembered. My success meant something because it connected us, bridging continents and generations. We built something together, really.