This is one of my most favourite pieces I have written to date. Combining my personal history as an immigrant to Canada with current events in the United States was both satisfying and unnerving. I wrote this piece while sitting at a local coffeeshop and I can tell you, I covered my face at the barstool overlooking the pretty street in my safe neighbourhood, and choked back tears.
I know I’m only one generation removed from fleeing a country for a better life, and some people have 3 or 4 generations on Canadian or American soil for the same reason. But I really don’t understand how we can’t all see ourselves in each other? Maybe sharing our stories will help with that? It’s one of my motivations for telling this story.
The other hope I had with publishing this was for anyone who hasn’t already seen it, to notice the connection among wayward politicians like Idi Amin, Trump and Hitler. The connection is there. It’s real and it’s scary.
Were you following the plight of the asylum seekers and the detained children? The coverage of it has slowed down; last I heard, there were still many children unable to be reunited with their parents. I think about them often, like this morning when my 4 year old cried in her swimming lesson because she couldn’t be with me. I was close enough that I could hear the conversation she was having with her kind, compassionate teacher. I honestly thought of those children who were unable to communicate due to a language barrier and sheer trauma, who just ache to be with their moms and dads.
My article, The Madman Next Door, was posted on Vancouver Mom and I’d love for you to read it and share it from their site if you are so inspired.
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