The life of the emigrant can be one of losing home, losing culture, losing language and losing family. Most emigrants don't start with the intent of losing any of these but rather with the intent of gaining something else and yet a sense of loss often dominates emigrants lives.
At that point then, the emigrant is confronted by the 'myth of return', the propulsion to return home in an attempt to regain what was lost. Of course, everything has moved on, everything has changed and nothing of their 'old life' can be regained.
And so it remains for the emigrant to rediscover what it was they left home for, it remains for them to create what life they want.
Do we need to lose it all before we create a more fulfilled life? We either accept what life we have been born into or reject it and create something else.
For more information ...
paradise lost - paradise regained II
paradise lost - paradise regained I
6 comments:
Being a 1st generation Canadian whose parents immigrated here from Spain to remove themselves of Franco's reign. I have always felt as though I don't completely fit in here, and feel a strong sense of comfort for my adopted homeland, and defend it with passion.
When I'm in Spain, I find myself defending, and being more patriotic towards Canada.
I have yet to find the perfect balance between the two.
This is a huge area ripe for comment and argument. Al of the removal from one's home is full of danger, loathing love and hate and all the otheremtions in between an many more I no doubt have forgotten or chosen to avoid. I never ditted in at home thast much so how on earth or elsewhere could I fit in in the area where I moved!?!?! I did not realise htat back then or in deed do I really now. however lets loo at it as an experience, a travelogue, a part of life (as we know it Jim)Get over it Don't shout down your friends, feel good and do good in your new land and expand it is te way!!
I find nationhood to be a less defining aspect of my identity now that I am in my late 30's than it was when I was a kid.
I find no compulsion to defend Ireland. When people ask if I am proud to be from Ireland, I usally explain that I am happy to be from Ireland. Europe has an unsavoury history when pride and nationality were mixed, one that I want to avoid.
My sister lives in Spain and it does from an outside glance like it is leaving Franco's legacy behind.
wow a tad too little attention to detail in my last post and a tad too much(or maybe two or three tads too many) of red wine that night .still the natural beauty of the blog goes forth
You can't be me...I am me....
:P
I think its hard to move and be a stranger in a strange land. I think we tend to only remember the really good things about home, and forget the bad. We glorify the past its human nature. We tend to focus on the future and the past and pay little attention to the present.
Now this is an area ripe for comment, living in the past, present or future.
Methinks a blog entry about it my be in order
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