Ahumada Degrati, C: MAPS TO THE SOUL

Aiding Latinas "claim" their stories, this studyfocuses on the experience of migration. The women whoshared their stories were found to be Seekers whobelieve that the process of migration has enrichedthem despite the hardships it entails. Although theyoften still feel as if they belong neither here-intheir adoptive country-nor there-in their country oforigin-these women continue to search for home. A weaving of their stories of migration wasinterpreted through the lens of the tale of The UglyDuckling by Hans Christian Andersen. Like theimmigrants' this tale is a story of separation andloss. It thus helps place the Latinas' journey withina universal, archetypal context and view theirstories against a mythological framework. Since theheroic quest portrayed by the tale of the UglyDuckling is an archetypal pattern or blueprint of theprocess of individuation, seeing an immigrant'sjourney through this lens helps situate her personalexperiences within the larger human journey. In lightof this tale, these women are seen as heroines in aquest, one that could, in the end, lead them toindividuation: healing their wounds and returningthem Home.