Migration

Maybe it's the flocks of birds returning with the spring but immigration has been in the news (read: The Guardian) quite a bit these days. I thought this was an interesting article - in that kind of snapshot way of reporting that purports to make no judgements on the information. But nonetheless, it is intriguing. I guess I am an immigrant right now. Huh. But I've never been referred to - or had cause to refer to myself as - an immigrant in this country. And I noticed that the people interviewed mostly fit the traditional, narrow construction of immigrant - though I'm interested in the comments from the Irish and Australian women. Whenever I think of immigration or even the university's apparent understanding of 'international' I remember a strange fellow I encountered while working at the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor. He was American, but without identification of any sort, so we directed him to Canadian immigration. Outraged, he pointed at the substantial queue outside the immigration office - made up that particular day of an extended family immigrating from India and another from Mexico - and insisted that he wasn't from 'another country'. Upon our patient explanation that the United States was, in fact, 'another country', he became more hysterical (wearing I should add a powder-blue leisure suit) and with the air of speaking to a very young child, said that 'well, he wasn't from another country like they (pointing at the queue) were from another country'.

Huh.

The sunshine has returned - albeit only in brief moments that ensure I am perpetually grateful for it. Running has returned as a firm part of my schedule. Teaching is nearly back for the final three weeks of term. May is very nearly upon us and I will then have cause to reflect on another year. Things keep moving and shifting and changing and I don't feel that I'm 'on top' of everything - nor to I feel dragged under; I just feel like going with the flow.