Day 274 -- moving across the world

Lately, experiences of immigrant groups have been on my mind. I've been updating information for class lectures on food security -- having adequate culturally appropriate food available in a manner that maintains human dignity. I've read many reports and spoken with recent immigrants. The barriers to food seem huge and the types of foods available at our supermarkets can become overwhelming for many people from places where fewer choices were available. This, too, has had me thinking -- we have entirely too much choice in this part of the world -- for most people, that is. Many still have limited access due to limited incomes even on my street.

I often ponder what my forebears experienced on the ship across the Atlantic in the 1840s and others in the early 1900s. It was a long journey and not everyone survived, especially those in steerage as my ancestors would have been. Once here they had to start over -- everything from scratch -- with just a small suitcase of belongings. They found a place to live and then a place to settle. They broke prairie and forest land. They found friends. They grew food, foraged for food, and did their best to feed a family. I can't imagine what that would have felt like. I've moved around this country a lot, but I have the luxury of phoning my family and friends back home and have moved to jobs that gave me funds for rent and food and transportation. The strength it must have taken to leave everything known -- even when it was not ideal -- to head for something totally unknown, is incomprehensible. Today many people move around the world to find a better life for themselves and a family, too. While some immigrant associations exist to help newcomers, there are so many hurdles -- not the least of which is language.  I've worked with such groups to help people find foods and substitutes from the grocery stores in their area. Food can be the one thing that provides a bit of stability in an otherwise crazy environment. 

A song for today wasn't easy. In my head I heard a song about an Italian who lived between Italy and New York.While the song isn't about the pain of leaving home as such, it is about leaving the ones he loves. To me, the tone and many of the lyrics seem similar to what I imagine my family felt on the bad days after crossing that ocean. I love this live version with the composer and an opera star that made this part of his repertoire. Enjoy! 

Caruso -- Lucio Dalla and Luciano Pavarotti