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My parents are east European immigrants to the US. They’ve had a hard life, never adjusted well. Calls to mom last about 20 seconds before she hands the phone o
by jasonv 6y ago
My parents are east European immigrants to the US. They’ve had a hard life, never adjusted well. Calls to mom last about 20 seconds before she hands the phone off to my father, who will recount the mistakes and sufferings of his life.
They’re broken. I call every other week but sometimes if I call more they’ll not answer the phone. I call, either way. There won’t be anything more, previous efforts to repair or resolve or lift any of this have always returned things to the current condition. It always rests here.
So I’ll call, but yes, this is how it is. I wish they had considered going back decades ago. Or hadn’t crumpled under the strain of their efforts.
These holidays are a reminder of what we can’t have.
- jnbiche 6y ago> I wish they had considered going back decades ago Considered what? You've said they had a hard life. Edit: Oh, I misread that (parsed it as "considered, going back decades ago", thinking you were implying you wish they had considered the effect of their actions). Yeah, I think for many older immigrants who were forced to emigrate from their homeland because of warfare or economic collapse, going back makes sense if conditions have improved. They don't want to go back now? Or too old?
- ptero 6y agoConsidered going back to Eastern Europe I think.
- jasonv 6y agoThey're too old now, health issues keep them house bound. There was a time where they had the money and vitality to tackle the things that kept them out of their comfort zone. They were forced out of their country by a military invasion, and so in their mind, the country as it turned out wasn't theirs anymore either. But they meet up with others who left under the same circumstances.. there's a shared culture, but it's all stopped in time. Frozen.