A good friend and I drove to Halifax through wet snow and fog along the way. The top of the two mountains were most foggy and more wet snow flurries occurred closer to Halifax. We visited Pier 21 -- a museum of Canadian immigration. The displays were wonderful. We went through the interactive area detailing the immigrant experience on a ship crossing the Atlantic, through the entry process at Pier 21 and travel beyond the harbour via train. The other area that we did quickly due to an imminent closing time, involved the personal experience of various waves of immigrants over the centuries. This area had interactive areas where visitors can record their family's experience of arriving in Canada. It would be fun to spend more time there to adequately reflect on when, why and how my family relocated to Canada.
It must have been difficult, knowing that you might never get back to your family and original home. There would be sadness with the excitement and trepidation of starting anew in an unknown place. Had these ancestors not chosen to move to find a new life, I would not have been born. They gave me a gift of a homeland and parts of their stories of why they moved. I hope to spend some time digging into the arrival documentation of the family members I know of who first set foot in North America. I'd like to know more about them all.
Lines from a song ran through my head as I looked at the many photos of people arriving at the port. I've shared this song in the past but use a different cover of the song today. This one has a bit of country-folk flavour when the earlier version shared had a stronger Celtic vibe. Keep safe. Enjoy!
Immigrant Eyes -- Emmylou Harris
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