The Far Away Brothers

While on the plane, I’ve been reading The Far Away Brothers by Lauren Markham. Even though I’m not even halfway done with it yet, it presents a view of immigration, and its impact on children particularly, in an unobstructed way. I’ve really enjoyed the book so far and would recommend it to each of you taking this course. The first two chapters hooked me almost immediately. It centers in on twin brothers leaving El Salvador for “the North.” At home, they faced gang violence almost every day on their way to and from school. Their goal when fleeing from their home city was not to bring gang violence to America, to bring drugs to America, or to freeload off of the system as much of America seems to think these days. Their shared goal was safety and the American Dream.

As I traveled through London briefly yesterday, several of my Uber drivers were from Middle Eastern countries and had immigrated to London for better opportunities. I have NEVER experienced so much love and pride in one’s country as I heard from my Uber drivers of all people! Their reasons for leaving countries like Bangladesh and Pakistan were not necessarily discussed with me in depth (and I didn’t want to pry), but their reasons for coming to London were all similar: they wanted a new, better life with better opportunities. That’s typically the reason new countries are created in the first place, so it’s so disheartening to me for America to focus so much on the negatives or radical parts of immigration.

One thing I noted about each of the drivers I spoke to in London was a mutual feeling aside from patriotism…loneliness. Each of the drivers expressed how isolating a big city like London could be to those who don’t speak English or move from another country. Without family, they each agreed that they would not have stayed here. If anything, that solidified my Now, Wow, How project even more so in my mind. Whether it’s through forming a support group for immigrant families and children in particular, or facilitating a mentor program for students at school to help them become accustomed to a new country and culture, mental health and belongingness are top priorities for new immigrants.