They called me an “alien”

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/03/2019 (2544 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I was once told by a neighbour in my condo complex in Florida, that although I am Canadian, in her eyes I will always be an “alien”.  I hoped she was joking but I had to consider the circumstances. It was a week after the 9/11 terrorist attack in Manhattan and Americans were in deep shock.

Since then, travellers have endured endless security lineups before flying south. This underscores my feeling that northerners seeking respite from the cold weather are viewed as unwelcome guests.

This was reinforced by a Florida elementary school which suddenly barred me from the premises after three years of reading my children’s stories to children from Grades 1 to 3. Security concerns were great at the time, and my presence was viewed as an unwelcome intrusion. 

That terrible season, no Christmas decorations were hung on homes or apartment balconies. No colourful lights appeared anywhere. There seemed to be a general feeling of gloom and doom. A nation was in mourning and you couldn’t help but sense its despair.

Suddenly a huge, powerful country had been cut off at the knees. Images of people jumping out of two high-rise buildings to escape the flames were forever engraved in the collective memory of a nation. Three thousand people died.

Yet life moves on. It would take several more painful years for people to dismiss that feeling of imminent danger and vulnerability. Like a huge shaggy dog shaking off excess moisture, a great nation began to pull itself together and I watch and marvel at this country’s resilience.

The slogan “Make America great again” has resounded for the past few years. But lately, we read in the media that thousands from around our troubled world have set their sights on settling in the U.S. to seek lives free of violence and poverty. However, they are not welcome in the U.S. — and they are also called “aliens.”

In Canada, our attitude toward immigrants is different. I don’t know if America will ever become great again.  

All I know is that the country I knew as a young person growing up is no more. I’m so grateful that my immigrant parents settled in Canada instead of “south of the border.”

So let them call me an alien. Whenever I return to Canada from a winter getaway,  I know I’ll always be included and valued in my community.

Freda Glow is a community correspondent for the North End. 

Freda Glow
North End community correspondent

Freda Glow is a community correspondent for the North End.

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