Of the four videos, I was first attracted to Tan Le’s Immigration story. Tan Le is an Australian immigrant who is currently living in San Francisco. She equals her life to a jigsaw puzzle. Different events represent various events in her life that shaped her as a human being. The first piece of the jigsaw puzzle being the story of her grandfather. He was a poet and a playwright who hoped for peace within his country. However his life was during the Saigon Fall and thus, he faced mockery and humiliation for his beliefs. He had retreated into silence and through his wife, Tan Le’s Grandmother was his story told and retold to ensure he did not live in vain. The second piece of the Jigsaw Puzzle was the ship ride escaping from their home country into Australia. She recalls the ship ride, the few memories she still holds of the rocking ship and lights off the coast of Melbourne. She recalls the first apple she ever tasted and a dying man who had given up due to the long ride. It is from this that she recalls the hard work her mother had to put up with in order to ensure they were well provided for. From the second hand clothes they wore to how exhausted her mother would be at the end of the day. She recalls the situation at that time and the unfitting piece of the jigsaw puzzle that was characterised with her being asked to speak of her life as a refugee and a Social Activist. The difference between the life she was living and the life she was introduced were contradicting. She did not want to progress with the chosen life of Social Activist and Refugee, to her, the piece of the jigsaw was not fitting. However, she continued with the struggle as her mother advised her “no” was not an option, recalling all they had been through. Through her hunches as a woman and the support of friends who shared the same objectives, she was able to begin a new life, a prosperous life. Through the bonds she formed with her mother, grandmother and her small sister, she was able to overcome the various challenges that came her way. These bonds are what strengthened her as she would have failed had it been bonds made with men (TED, 2012) .
The second video I chose was that of Pico Iyer speaking on where one comes from. He talks of the relations between people and tracing of roots back to where the heart lies. He uses his life as an example to emphasis his point. Using various analogies of the question “where do you come from”. The question differ with the aspect or demographic one is using. If it is from looks, then he is from India, if it is from where one was raised and educated, then it is from England; if the question refers to where the person pays their taxes, visits their doctors and had a social life, then for him, it would be from America. He emphasises that for any people “home” is a work in progress. A place that is constantly changing as a person’s life progresses. For instance, where people use home as a physical place, however, for people who do not have a physical home then for them, Home is what they carry with them. He continues to emphasize on the diverse difference that arises between every person with respect to their views on where home is (TED, 2013) .
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These two videos greatly struck me and inspired an insight into my own life. The videos, though each individually addressing different issues, both struck a wellness in my mind and heart. Identification of one’s own belonging is as important distinctively identifying where one’s hoe is. For Tan Le, home for her was being in bed with her mother and sister listening to their grandmother walking around the house. It is that bond and the stories they shared that made her feel at peace. In whatever situation, a person is able to identify where their home is. For me, home is the moment when we sit around the dining table together and, just as Tan Le did with her mother and sister, tell the tales of the day and what stood out. My family treasures dinners in that they pose a tradition where each person is able to share what is on their mind and receive unconditional support. For me, home is also being inside my little hostel room and having nothing to do, just lying in bed and thinking of past times or future events not yet come to pass. From Pico Iyer, the definition and understanding of home as multiple places within which you heart can connect is a revelation to me. For many years, I was caught with the notion that home is only where the physical building where my parents are, can be. However, living apart from that building brings about the true trace of where home is. It is not in the sitting room, or the comfortability of the space, it is simply at the dining table, with my family, having conversations that have no base, but however place a deep bond and provide memories.
References
TED. (2012). Tan Le: My immigration story . Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCop3IGZH2o
TED. (2013). Pico Iyer: Where is home? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3m6dV7Xo3Vc
