“migration involves reinhabiting the skin”

[ana_khouri]

So I just finished Queer Phenomenology by Sara Ahmed for my diss (getting it was a whole different story which involved fruitless library trips and lots of aggravation before I found it used on Amazon for a reasonable price...) but beyond the gay-ness of it all I was really thrown by how she incorporated the idea of migration and changing nations

Comments

[chris4short]

I wonder if that (the dual national couple thing) is (or was) something my mom experienced. She moved here only to take on a nanny-esque job for a year to get some experience with kids, and ended up going back to Germany engaged to a man her family had never met. I am sure she talked to them about Dad, but he couldn't speak to them since I am sure his German skills were about as well grasped as mine (which is baby speech and talk slowly so I can understand every 5th word). Dad was willing to move to Germany so my Mom didn't have to leave her family, but after they talked about it - they were both in school, and Dad had a full time job - the States was best for them. They got married in Germany, and moved here.

I know it's hard for my Mom to travel back and forth to Germany and see her family, but with the way awesome internet, she is able to connect with her sisters everyday, or every other day, and speaks to Opa at least twice a week. Of course there are family factors involved that differer from your situation to mine and my Mom's, but there are ways to still be globally connected.

I have a cousin in Hong Kong, and his mom is going to see him in the next few weeks. They arrange times to speak when they are both home, or think they will both be home. You have to play the international "what time is it?" game a lot, but it's doable.

I'm still shocked sometimes when I receive mail at my house and yet I also receive it at my parents too. Growing up seems to be that magical phrase that encaptures the new found responsibility to have dual identities (work and personal), dual jobs (personal and professional) and sometimes dual skins (your innards and what the world sees)... it's all quiet strange really. But it's really quite fun too... and someday we wake up to realize we have the balancing act just right for us, and we can continue to move forward.

[ana_khouri]

Yea, I guess moving out does that in general... It is just really hard to keep in touch with everyone when the 'international what time is it' game means their at work when I'm awake.... (and then there are the people you miss that you don't really have a 'I'll talk to you on the phone' relationship but you have no way of just hanging with them) But you're right, no matter what I did, there would be a balancing act involved...and most of the time I feel balanced... just the vertigo from the unbalanced moments is pretty extreme.. lol

Thanks for giving me some perspective... : )

*hugs*