Nagdamgo Ako Ani is a visual record of my continual search for a sense of belonging as a third culture kid in the American South. I am interested in reconciling the feeling of existing as a tourist in my homeland through an exploration of my innate desire for visual storytelling as a mode of preserving the cultural traditions and values of my family, while simultaneously operating within a societal context that has been marred by the ideals of Western colonialism and imperialism. For over a century, the “truth claim” of photography has been exploited as a colonial tool, presenting a narrow view of reality and weaponizing otherness in order to promote imperialistic ideals. These pointed images are immortalized in textbooks, anthropological publications, and in our national archives. However, when looking through my own family’s archive, I am presented with a version of the truth which is not clinical, precise, or motivated by ulterior agendas, but defined by a simple earnestness and care motivated by love and the desire to memorialize. Inspired by these snapshots which highlight my family’s strength in the face of adversity, I seek to portray a vision, both authentic and romanticized, of the lived experiences of the Southern third culture kid which is reflective of my bittersweet upbringing, defined by the act of creating a home and pouring love into a place that can be at times both saccharine and hostile to my existence.