Dalila Sagastume and her son, Nestor Gomez, lived in Guatemala during a civil war in the 1980s. Before they came to the United States, they worked long hours making “worry dolls,” which they sold to tourists. In February, the two sat down at the StoryCorps booth in the Chicago Cultural Center to reflect on how their lives have changed since they left Guatemala 30 years ago.

Bill Healy produces StoryCorps Chicago and teaches journalism at Northwestern University. Follow him on Twitter at @chicagoan. Northwestern University’s Natalie Escobar helped produce this story. Follow her at @_NatalieEscobar.