The Search for a New Life

As a child, I never knew why we left our home country.

Here I was, 10 years old in a new country that spoke a different language, looked at us differently when we spoke ours, and was – as I heard – the best country in the world.

I was, honestly, perplexed at how clean everything was on our drive from Miami – where we landed – to Orlando. The sleek road, the flashy signs and the big cars. Everything.

That is just one story, but there are countless out there.

Imagine all the people crossing international borders into their new lives. Why are they crossing? Who are they with? Will they make it?

Something that I have learned to appreciate throughout the years, are peoples’ stories. Why are they who they are? Where do they come from? Why do they love apples? Why do they hate oranges?

That’s why, it is all too important to be aware. Not just looking, or listening, but also aware. 

The recent news of people fleeing persecution in Myanmar on boats, and where they’ll end up is a distant and, to some, an “unimportant” issue. Picture yourself on a boat packed with people, little to no food, no heating and missing all the luxuries you have back home. Not pretty, is it?

African migrants in Mediterranean. Source: http://time.com/3827557/migrant-boat-capsizing-mediterranean-europe/

Or the news of African women fleeing rape and genital mutilation either in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or in the north of Nigeria where Boko Haram is rampant. Their route to freedom is not as easy as a plane ride, but rather a long trek to Ceuta or Melilla in Spanish territory found in northern Morocco that often entails sexual labor to pay smugglers or even food.

What if you make it to Ceuta or Melilla? Are you safe there now? No.

Just last April, over 800 migrants died when their boat sank in the Mediterranean. Suddenly, the dreams and aspirations of these people vanished, with only 28 left to tell the tale.

Stories like these remind us that migration is a dangerous, and blinding endeavor. Either we safely arrive at an airport and continue on, or risk our lives by crossing open waters or scorching deserts.

Whatever the outcome, people the world-over seeking a better life take the leap and prefer that to the misfortunes at home.

Let’s be aware, and support peoples’ right to a better life.