TheMike_Jan27

THE MIKE WEDNESDAY january 27, 2016 ISSUE 11

nero’s story

How one conversation contextualized the unprecedented global refugee crisis

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EDITORIAL

By and by, a nation has crumbled before our eyes. Hundreds have been massacred, thousands have been injured and millions have been displaced. Homes ravaged, lands pillaged and heritage lost. There are many accounts offering varied explanations for the reasons behind the Syrian Refugee Crisis; only a few however, point to solutions. For over three years now we have been bombarded with news about the worsening plight of Syrians, yet, it was one picture of Aylan Al-Kurdi lying motionless, face down on the Aegean shore that caused waves worldwide.

From the comfort of my home that has a fully stocked fridge and a warm fireplace it is hard for me to understand hunger and cold. The idea of families swimming against huge tides to make it to safety in Europe seems like a distant dream - something from the adventure section of Netflix - yet it is very real and very heartbreaking. This issue, The Mike features an interview with Nero, one of the many people that left Syria in search of safety, opportunity and happiness. Nero shares the struggles of his journey, his hopes for the future and his message for Canadians. We hope the exchange gives you a unique insight into the crisis - we look forward to your questions and comments.

In addition, we have a selection of witty personal stories and fine movie reviews packed into this issue for your enjoyment. Our team here at the paper is growing and thriving and if you’d like to get onboard, reach us at editorinchief@readthemike.com

- Palakh Chhabria, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THE MASTHEAD Editor-in-Chief

Ms. Palakh Chhabria

Managing Editor

editorinchief@readthemike.com

Ms. Salena Barry managingeditor@readthemike.com

Opinions Editor

Sports Editor

Ms. Anah Mirza opinions@readthemike.com

Design Manager

Ms. Elizaveta Mironova

Faith Editor

Arts Editor

Living Editor

Mr. Alex Wichert Ms. Elizabeth McDermott Ms. Lia Kim Ms. Christina Bezerra sports@readthemike.com faith@readthemike.com arts@readthemike.com living@readthemike.com

Business Manager Mr. Denys Matvyeyev

OPINIONS are the new Black.

Write or Edit for us editorinchief@themike.com The Mike is the Official Bi-weekly Student Newspaper of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto, publishing since 1947. The Mike has a circulation of 2000, delivered to over 40 newsstands across the University of Toronto: St. George Campus and is published by The Mike Publications Inc. The Mike is printed by MasterWeb Inc on recycled newsprint stock and is a member of Canadian University Press. Copyright: 2012 The Mike Publications Inc. All Rights Reserved. All editorial inquires should be sent to editorinchief@readthemike.com. The Mike reserves the right to edit all submissions

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ARTS An interview with Elissa Gurman, Department of English Lia Kim ARTS EDITOR Elissa Gurman, a PhD Candidate in English Literature at U of T, won a highly coveted nationwide calling for graduate students to share their PhD research on CBC Radio’s Ideas—the first of three interviews entitled “Crazy in Love” will air Jan. 28.

It is also worth noting Gurman’s work during her time as a Masters student at Dalhousie University. Her thesis entitled “Seductive Convention” focuses on her formative influences as an emerging scholar in 19thcentury literature.

The 54-minute podcast will discuss representations of women falling in love in 19th-century realist novels.

“Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre and George Eliot’s The Mill on the Floss have been the novels that constantly come to mind for me when I think about Victorian literature,” says Gurman. “My favourite part of Jane Eyre is when Rochester keeps trying to buy [Jane] jewellery and fancy clothes and she responds: ‘I am not your Mrs. Rochester!’ I like the way Brontë represents Jane as having a strong individual self that can’t be written over by a narrative of falling in love.”

“In the realist novel, we’re interested in the representation of individuals and their psychology and their motivation,” says Gurman. “What was curious to me, in a very wide variety of realist novels, [was that] these different individualized heroines would fall in love in the exact same way.”

According to Gurman, we are seeing the recurrence of the exact same metaphors to describe the way that women feel when they are falling in love: “they’re drifting on an ocean, or they feel the crashing of waves, or they hear the sound of music that makes them vibrate like a string.”

There is a “myth of love” that emerges; and one of the main features that Gurman notices is that when the female character falls in love, she enters an “irrational, unconscious, nonindividuated state” where she seems incapable of making decisions.

Gurman’s dissertation explores the different reasons why the woman in love might be represented as irrational and unconscious.

Each chapter is devoted to a different cultural discourse that was happening in the Victorian period that may have impacted the representation of women falling in love.

The first chapter looks at past literature, romance, and female reading. The second chapter talks about Charles Darwin’s theory of sexual selection and biological attraction.

The third chapter discusses the emerging idea of the unconscious—pre-Freudian and early Freudian ideas about the sexual unconscious—and the power of dreams. The last chapter tries to reconcile the marriage contract with the consent required for the former.

In The Mill on the Floss, Maggie Tulliver drifts away with her lover and she says to him: “I don’t want to be here. I did not consent. I have not consented with my rational mind. I have not consented with my heart and soul.

Don’t take my momentary feeling for you as an indication of my consent.” Gurman highlights how our idealized vision of love makes consent impossible.

“These texts articulate for me the strength of the female heroine and the female heroine’s struggle with trying to make her own choices and to decide for herself,” she says.

In the world of the 140-character tweet, the thick tomes of Victorian literature remain ubiquitous and continue to appeal to a contemporary audience. “In the Victorian period, people were actually anxious about shorter forms of literature and how it made peoples’ attention spans shorter,” explains Gurman. “People were horrified [because] they thought this was going to make people have less of an appetite for deep ideas and deep thinking.” Be that as it may, we still manage to read novels and have deep thoughts, says Gurman.

“I think Victorian literature is still relevant,” she adds. “Just the other day, I saw a huge billboard for Jekyll and Hyde the TV show.

We’re still making shows about Sherlock Holmes and Jekyll and Hyde. These stories

still resonate [and] we see these narratives in our pop culture recurring again and again.”

The stories that we are telling today—even if they are not identical to the ones told in the Victorian period—are all part of a chain of how culture evolves. “That relevance is still embedded within the plots and characters that interest us today, even if they’re not Sherlock and Jekyll and Hyde,” says Gurman.

Last term, Gurman was the course instructor for ENGB05 (Critical Writing About Literature) at UTSC. This term, she is teaching ENG325 (Victorian Realist Novels) at the downtown campus.

“I want my students to leave the class with hopefully an understanding of Victorian realism and of the period,” says Gurman.

In terms of skills, she hopes that students will hone their ability to read these very long, complex novels in which they insert themselves, analyze and engage, and think about being part of a critical community of readers.

“I want my students to think a bit about how the literature of the past continues to be relevant for them today because I think that’s part of why we study it,” says Gurman.

“I don’t want the Victorian novel class to exist in a bubble, but for it to be something that connects to their lives and to the other courses that they’re taking.”

Her advice to aspiring academics: “Only do it if you love it. There’s no glory in literary scholarship. It’s a really tough road. If it doesn’t work out into a career, [look at] the time as a PhD as a time [when] you got to explore something you were truly passionate about and intellectually interested in.”

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arts

Andrew Kiel CONTRIBUTOR/ BA, BEd, MRE CANDIDATE

Briana Armson STAFF WRITER

If you were to look in your classroom, Brennan Hall, the library, or within your family, a smile on the outside of someone might not necessarily be representative of what was going on inside. Mental illness affects all of us, whether it is through our families, friends, or colleagues at work. Unfortunately, mental illness is not as easy to spot in our everyday lives.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association, 20% of Canadians (or one in five people) will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, with approximately 8% of adults experiencing major depression. Yet close to 50% of those who feel they have suffered from anxiety or depression have never seen a doctor. This is largely due to the stigma or negative stereotypes associated with mental illness, resulting in a lack of diagnosis and a fear of not being accepted in a community.

How can we help?

Bell’s Let’s Talk campaign lists five ways to help: 1) Language Matters - Pay attention to the words you use. Our common terminology may be hurtful to others.

2) Educate Yourself - Learn the facts and myths about mental illness.

3) Be Kind - This goes without saying, but follow the golden rule: “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you.”

4) Listen and Ask - Listen to when someone wants to talk to you, and offer help if requested.

5) Talk About It - Encourage a healthy discussion, and don’t let it be a taboo topic!

I have been a Student Union rep for four years, and now I am serving as a Residence Advisor (Don) at the University of St. Michael’s College. At one point, I treated mental health as a taboo topic. I refused to believe that certain family members, friends, and colleagues were impacted. However, the more I talked and the more I listened, the more I understood.

Don’t ever be ashamed to discuss what you are feeling with someone else. Chances are they either know someone who has experienced mental illness, or they may be struggling with it themselves. Who knows? Maybe just talking might be enough to save a life. If we help remove the stigma, not only are we helping those in need, but we are making the world a better place.

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your friends or family, there are resources available to you. Check out the Health & Wellness Centre at U of T (studentlife.utoronto.ca/hwc), call Counseline (416-946-5117), or CAMH (416-535-8501). If it is an emergency regarding life or death, always dial 911. If you just want to talk or to learn more, feel free to contact a Don at St. Mike’s. We are always here to help out wherever we can and can offer assistance or redirect you to the proper resources.

There is always someone you can talk to. After all, the more we discuss, the sooner we can eliminate the stigma. “Never give up on someone with a mental illness. When “I” is replaced by “We”, illness becomes wellness.” - Shannon L. Alder

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest film The Revenant depicts one man’s brutal struggle to survive after being left for dead in the hostile wilderness. The film is based on the story of a real man, Hugh Glass, who was an American fur trapper and frontiersman in the 1820s. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio, Glass is portrayed as a rugged hunter with exceptional navigational skills in traversing the harsh terrains of Montana and South Dakota. Since its wide release on January 8th, the film has already received several accolades including three Golden Globes for best motion picture (drama), best director, and best actor (drama) for DiCaprio’s performance.

The Revenant created a buzz throughout its lengthy eleven-month production, partly due to its filming approach. Together, Iñárritu and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki formed strict rules about the project: it would be shot in chronological order, only natural light found on location would be employed, and green screen production would not be used. The cast and crew shot on location using the few hours of daylight they had and endured the elements in Alberta, British Columbia, and the southern tip of Argentina.

DiCaprio has since stated that this was the most challenging undertaking of his career, thus real pain and palpable discomfort can be felt throughout the film. The end result of this unwavering methodology is phenomenal.

Throughout the film, we are at eye level with Glass as he uses every ounce of force to drag his injured body across the frozen ground. The viewer is completely immersed within the setting, feeling the bitter cold, Glass’s dwindling strength, and the pain he endures.

The long sequences used by Iñárritu and Lubezki in their collaboration on the Academy Award winning film Birdman are used in a new way to heighten atmospheric intensity while disarming close-up camera angles provide the viewer with a thrilling first-hand experience of the action. When Glass encounters a mother grizzly and her cubs, the tense and violent scene is sure to cause goosebumps due to its chillingly accurate portrayal of a bear mauling.

The combination of subtle sound mixing and imagery is another aspect to behold. One of the most visually arresting scenes uses an aerial camera—the shot slowly drifts through the clouds towards a partially exposed sun, paired with the lone sound of Glass’ exhausted breathing. It is both blissful and devastating at the same time. The score, composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto, integrates the reflective serenity of the landscape and the dreamlike hallucinations Glass experiences throughout the film. Bryce Dessner of the band The National and German electronic artist Alva Noto collaborated with Sakamoto in order to produce this ethereal orchestral score, cohesively integrated with the subtle sounds of the surrounding wilderness.

There is no doubt that the entire cast and crew of the film put their blood, sweat, and tears into this production, creating a stunning survival story that is visceral, gritty, spiritual, dreamlike, and authentic. On top of that, The Revenant is a depiction of the dichotomous relationship between brutality and beauty found within both nature and humanity.

With outstanding performances by DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, as well as breathtaking cinematography and incredible direction, costume design, and musical score, it is no surprise that Iñárritu’s arduous undertaking has been nominated for 12 Academy Awards.

Let’s hope Leo can finally snag best actor this time; he’s certainly earned it.

Louis Train SPECIAL CONTRIBUTOR The ruble is in freefall; the economy’s going to pot. Turkey is making threats. Human rights groups are pointing fingers.

But tonight, in this smallish Moscow movie theatre, the questions on our minds are about light-sabres, x-wings, and the location of Luke Skywalker. In front of me, local Muscovites are taking selfies; to my left, an American expat has crossed his arms, anticipating disappointment. To his left, a seventy-something New Zealander has laid his cane on the floor.

I’ve been living and working in Moscow since October.

In a lot of ways, the city is what you’d expect from the newspapers with amputees begging for money on the metro and stray cats looking for a nook to crawl into in -20°C degree weather. There are a lot of pleasant surprises too, like the warm bakeries on every corner and the irrepressible, sometimes untranslatable, Russian wit. But there is nothing foreign about the Russian reaction to Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which opened here, as it did almost everywhere in the world, to astronomical success.

Why is it that Star Wars, of all things, is one thing that the West and Russia can agree on? Not food (herring salad) or architecture (onion domes), and certainly not civil rights or foreign policy. What is the universal appeal of a 40 yearold sci-fi franchise?

A look at reviews offers no answers. Americans and Canadians praised The Force Awakens for its diversity in

starring a woman and a man of colour, but diversity is far from prized in Moscow where millions of Central Asian immigrants live disenfranchised.

Many critics enjoyed the rich visuals, but pretty colours aren’t enough to bridge a cultural chasm.

And it certainly can’t be the history—or nostalgia, or whatever you call it—when the first screenings of the original Star Wars in Russia were of pirated videotapes, which were badly translated and awfully dubbed.

To see the real brilliance of Star Wars, we need to look past the colours and lights and away from the think pieces. Star Wars is about a lot of things—it is political and romantic, it addresses tyranny, hope, and psychology. But beyond all of that, the thread that binds every Star Wars movie, regardless of the decade or director, is the fantasy that in a galaxy of trillions of life forms, one ordinary person matters.

You don’t matter. I know I certainly don’t. And we’re only competing against a few billion people—people—not the trillions of people, robots, and space slugs that clamour around the Star Wars universe. But no matter how big the world or galaxy gets, the hero is important. He can blow up the Death Star. She can blow up the Starkiller Base. Skinny orphans from farms and deserts show us how easy it is to imagine that we matter, even if we don’t.

In Moscow, as in Toronto, the USA, the UK, and beyond, people have very different ideas of an ideal world. But, one thing we all share is the dream of building that world ourselves, blowing up the old one, and basking in the light of its exploding core.

living Mike Cowan CONTRIBUTOR

5 The story of my post-grad job search Paige Moura CONTRIBUTOR

So, I’m graduating in June (fingers-crossed), and, therefore, I’m feeling quite a bit sentimental these days. I was trying to figure out what to write this piece on, and it was suggested that I write about my favourite place on campus. What a perplexing task this was, for about five seconds. On the sixth second, it became quite obvious that if I had to sum up all my favourite memories about this place, an absurd amount of them occurred in Brennan Lounge.

Your early twenties are a chaotic, wild, and fun space odyssey into the real world. The training wheels are off, and the time to act is now. Are you following your heart? Are your studies interesting you? Is your work satisfying? These are the questions that plague me to this day. What follows is the story of my blood, sweat, and tear filled post-graduation job search. With many let downs and laughable moments, this journey gave me the knowledge that I now want to share with you.

This seemingly desolate room, underneath where residents get their food at St. Mike’s, is the secret heart of this college. If you want to see how the sausage is made regarding social life at SMC, look no further than Brennan Lounge. I got my start in that room enough years ago that I would rather not disclose the number. I went in there one day to play pool, and two guys named Kyle Farren and Andrew Profiti (shameless name-drops) were playing. Profiti was the resident consiglieri of SMCSU, and Kyle was the Athletics officer (he would go on to become President). He asked if I knew how to play, and I said I could at least beat him. That was the beginning of some of the best friendships of my life, right in Brennan Lounge.

High School and Sweet Beginnings: Let’s start where it all began, the end of high school. My dream was to go to the University of Toronto. I was living in West Palm Beach, Florida but partly grew up in Toronto as a child.

I was working my butt off in high school. I was a shy, studious girl and was eager to please my parents and teachers. I got accepted into the University of Toronto. Pause for applause.

Thank you, thank you. Entering university, I was extremely hopeful. My dream was to work in the film industry. I was starting off my Bachelor of Arts taking a lot of what you would call “artsy courses.” Film, gender studies, and politics classes took up the bulk of my schedule.

Within about ten months of that day, I was running for SMCSU for the second time, after getting slaughtered in the prior spring election. If I spent as much time in class as I did in Brennan those ten months, I probably wouldn’t still be waiting to graduate. But it goes without saying that I wouldn’t change a damn thing. I came in first place in that fall election (not-so-subtle brag), and I owe the next few years of my social life at SMC to all the hours spent in Brennan.

You would be hard-pressed to find out what I was I was doing in Brennan all that time (seriously, it was averaging like ten hours a day at one point). But I know it was worth it. I went to a tiny little single-sex choir school in downtown Toronto from grades five to 12. I didn’t know too many people coming to U of T, and my social skills were utterly lacking.

My Facebook friend list must have quadrupled in the first couple years at SMC, mostly due to being voluntarily stuck in the black hole that is Brennan Lounge.

If you hang out in there, you know exactly what I mean when I call it a black hole. You just can’t leave. Whether you’re sitting on the couches talking about some of the ridiculous events that occurred at last night’s SMCSU party (reach SMCSU Presents: Rodeo on January 28th), freaking out at how awful the Leafs are, getting slammed on St. Patrick’s Day, sneaking in a window after a bar night that secretly opens wide enough to do so (not that I ever did), playing board games, pool, or whatever it is, that place is the heart of SMC. I don’t hang out there too much anymore, but so many of my favourite experiences at U of T happened in that seemingly bland and uninteresting room, and it’s because they all happened with people who I’ve forged long-lasting relationships with, many of which I know will last a lifetime. So it’s pretty easy for me when asked what my favourite place is on campus. It’s not the quad at Hart House or the quad at Knox College. It’s not the AC, UC, or the secret room where the engineers store the different pieces of their cannon. It might have been Mullins if it was actually on campus. Nope, it’s that cozy little room called Brennan Lounge—the heart of the greatest college on earth.

Christina Bezerra LIVING EDITOR February reading week is fast approaching, and it’s hard not to think about all the wonderful adventures I’d rather be going on than the endless assignments I must complete. Reading week is happening from February 16th to 19th. This week brings on endless opportunities for getaways, big and small. Whether you want to stay in the city or have a quick trip to the beach, here are a few ideas on how to make the most out of you reading week.

1) A lot of travel websites hike up the prices, but if you are smart about when you book, a beach vacation shouldn’t cost you half of your tuition. Using websites such as Skyscanner or Kayak, which track the cheapest flights, make it easy to compare prices.

2) Plan ahead and book a few days at a cottage up north. The prices tend to get outrageous, so be sure to book ahead and bring a few friends to lower the cost. Also, Blue Mountain and Mont-Tremblant offer some deals on Groupon.

3) With the Canadian dollar at an all-time low, the possibility of escaping the snow may seem impossible for some penny pinchers, but there is still hope for no snow right here at home. If planned properly, a trip to the not so snowy streets of Vancouver will cost you around $500. You can swap out your winter parka for a lighter jacket and enjoy all the city has to offer. Vancouver can easily be compared to Toronto when it comes to nightlife and entertainment; it will definitely not disappoint.

4) If a week-long getaway is not in the cards for you this February, a staycation is your next best option. Book a hotel room in your favorite area downtown and enjoy a night on the town. Head over to Hotwire to get some good last minute pricing. Be sure to book ahead if you’re thinking about eating at some of the nicer downtown restaurants, since they tend to get busier around Valentine’s Day.

Major Changes: Not far into my first year, I was receiving pressure from peers and family members about what exactly I should be studying. This pressure, combined with feeling that I was not being mentally challenged enough, led me to totally switching up my majors. I decided to go into economics and public policy. I was now facing more challenging projects and tests. I had to teach myself calculus, a feat that I am still proud of, and took different courses like statistics and computer science. In the end, I graduated with a degree in Economics and Public Policy.

Breaking Point: The next milestone for me was entering my fourth and final year of university. I was taking double majors as well as doing double internships. I had also been working at my local Sephora. I loved working at Sephora; the energy was great. So, at one point I was working three jobs! Eventually, something had to give, and I quit Sephora.

I took on too much. Have any of you ever done this? I thought that I had to exceed everyone’s expectations or else I would be a failure. So, I completed my degree and I completed two sixmonth internships simultaneously.

I was grateful and learned so much at these two internships. But at the time I had just finished university, and I was supposed to be happy. Right? However, I was extremely exhausted.

People think that because you’re young, a student, and in your twenties that there’s no reason for you to be exhausted. Frankly, I must say that this is untrue.

I am so brain-dead at this point from thinking and working that I decided I need a break.

After my family celebrated my graduation, I took a minimum wage job to the understandable horror and confusion of my parents.

Yes, minimum wage. The cherry on top is that the job was in a mall. I remember my father saying to me, “Paige I don’t understand what you’re doing.” Neither did I. Minimum Wage and Other Tough Lessons: I was in Toronto working a job at the mall. At this job, sales goals were extremely important.

They posted a list every week highlighting the employees with the lowest sales totals. Yet, there was zero commission or positive motivation to reach these goals other than that it will decrease your chance of being fired. Awesome.

I felt above selling products to people who do not want or need them. I begin referring to the sales goals lists as, “Acts of terrorism.” I have a knack for the dramatics. I also told my co-workers to ignore these lists and to “not respond to terrorism.”

When news spread of my little campaign, our manager was not entirely amused. Within a month I was abruptly and immediately fired. Here is where the tears in our story come in. I told my manager that I was supporting myself right now and I really needed to be working.

She explained to me that she was struggling with the same thing, but that this was a part of her job she did not like but must perform. So there it was, I was fired for the first time in my life.

After my initial cry, I actually took the news quite well. Looking back, this is a little odd due to the fact that I still needed to come up with rent money no matter what. After a short stint at a boutique downtown, I was able to quit after a research opportunity I had received. This research opportunity was amazing. I was doing market research for a not-for-profit and I was able to do it all from the comfort of my own home.

Now that I was working from home, I had more time to focus on getting a job that would pay me more than the bare minimum. But, much more importantly than that, at this time I realized I was no longer brain-dead! I was no longer exhausted and I actually needed and wanted a job where I could contribute real value. This was a big ah-hah moment for me.

A New Kind of Job Hunt: Now a serious hunt ensues for a full-time job. The process continues to stretch on and feels a lot like this: Interview, excitement, conversation, effort, rejection, opportunity, happiness, rejection, rejection, rejection, rejection, conversation, networking, possibilities, phone call, email, rejection, rejection, rejection, confusion, helplessness, delusion, reality, interview, presentation, conversation, rejection, networking, extreme positivity, rejection, extreme negativity, email, interview, rejection, rejection, hope, application, networking.

Now that I am on a serious job search, I use my free time to contribute to different online publications and continue doing research for small organizations. I also have time to thinkup creative venture ideas with friends and family.

I am still searching for the right job in the right place with the right people. But my path and the many detours I’ve been on have all gotten me closer to who I am today. I have a greater sense of what I am passionate about and I am much more comfortable networking now than ever before. These are invaluable experiences. This glimpse into my life gives you a realistic idea of what I’ve been experiencing.

This is an excerpt from Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Story of My Post Graduate Job Search

by Paige Moura. For more by Paige visit aquateryoung.com

from mersin to salzburg:

Nero’s story How one conversation contextualized the unprecedented global refugee crisis Immigration, citizenship and refugees – these are all terms one might feel most comfortable cordoning off in a political context. After all, that is how most discussions are treating the current crisis. While it may be most pragmatic to approach it from a policy standpoint, it would be irresponsible to lose sight at what is at the crux of the crisis: people. As students of the academy, it is our job to unpack everything – the more complex, the better – because that means there’s more to learn from!

When we buckle down to understand the intricate web of migration and settlement, it’s clear that some aspects are easier to consider independently than others. For example, the intersections of human movement and spillover of violence can be ordered and explained quite simply. Causation becomes considerably difficult to establish when power dynamics and cultural climates are added to the equation. Inherent to each element are the human lives impacted, yet most of the buzz fails to even keep this in mind, let alone value it.

Anah Mirza OPINIONS EDITOR

Nero explained that the boat had begun to sink and that they would have drowned if they hadn’t returned. Eventually, he sympathized and said that they would attempt the journey again the following night.

The second trip was much safer, but spared the overbearing load. While a part of the boat was submerged for the entirety of the five-hour journey and the engine failed a total of three times, the group reached their destination: the Greek island of Leros. Immediately following the voyage, the group walked approximately twelve kilometres to a police station where they remained for twenty-four hours. They were then processed and received documents valid for three months.

In an attempt to humanize the policy debate, The Mike will be sharing an encounter that took place last summer when Julian, a fellow millennial from North America, met Nero, one of millions affected by the current crisis. Julian encountered Nero while on a train together in the Austrian city of Salzburg, a train that Julian noticed was full of refugees.

Nero began his story by sharing his experience travelling from Turkey to Greece. He started out at the port of Mersin, where he used to live. From there, he travelled thirteen hours to another city where he was to embark on a boat to Greece. The arrangement was simple: the vessel would leave at midnight or later with each passenger’s trip costing 1500 Turkish Lira. The travelers were gathered and a small fishing boat arrived for them.

Nero took a break in his account to make note of the hospitality of the Greek people. He mentioned that the group had been offered kindness in the form of accommodation and food. They stayed on the island for three days, after which they purchased tickets for a ten-hour ferry trip to Athens. Once in the capital, the group took combinations of local public transportation to the borders. They walked approximately three kilometres to reach the Greece-Macedonia border. They stayed on the Greek side for nine hours, under the blazing Mediterranean sun without food or Picturedfrom left to right: Julian and Nero, image courtesy of Julian Garcia water. Nero recalled a miracle at this point, one that came in the form of a The boat was designed for a maximum capacity of six occupants; rainstorm. He said that the dramatic change in weather was helpful when nevertheless, fifteen passengers and one captain boarded. The vessel began the local authorities did not have any regard for the stranded refugees. its journey, however, soon after technical issues arose and the engine burnt An hour after, they were able to walk into Macedonia where police were out. The boat began to sink so the group swam back to shore, a distance of able to escort them to a train station. The ten euro ticket afforded a swift approximately 800 metres. Upon reaching the dock, the person with whom trip through the country and into Serbia. They walked five kilometres into they had made the trip’s arrangements drew out a weapon and pointed it at Serbia and stayed at a farm-like camp. They stayed there for a night before them. He could not understand why they had returned. moving to a police station where they obtained their documents. Then they

Joel Bergner 2013 – Za’atari Refugee Camp, Jordan

moved to Belgrade and then to the town of Kanjiža where a camp took the group in. The group stayed in the camp for two days before moving towards the Serbia-Hungary border, by foot because otherwise, it would have cost close to 3000 euros.

When asked if he had anything else he’d like people in Canada to know, he replied with “Arab people are not animals. They are humans, just like you – but with bad luck. When we (refugees) come to your countries, it’s not in our will, it’s against our will. We’ll hope you understand this.”

Lost in a cornfield close to the border, Nero was soon found by the Hungarian police, who demanded he immediately surrender. Although unwilling, Nero gave up a few hours later and the police took him to a camp where he was kept for three days. Then, he was moved to another camp. When asked about this movement, Nero explained that the influx of refugees is so high that from an organizational standpoint, the movement is necessary for accommodation. Over a span of two weeks, Nero stayed at six different camps. The last camp he stayed at included what he suspects a forced ejection. As mentioned, these refugee camps are designed to be temporary and are connected by a chain of resettlements. The camp in question operated under a 48-72 hour stay scheme. When Nero had been there for 75 hours, he and a friend demanded that his exit be processed.

When the guards used electronic batons on a refugee, a small uprising of sorts ensued. They then processed Nero’s exit. Then, Nero meets Julian, enroute to Munich.

This brings us back to the origins of displacement as it’s understood in a post-Westphalian era. The United Nations’ 1951 Refugee Convention defines a refugee as someone who “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.” Nero’s account speaks to so many human traits, most prominently fear, kindness and resourcefulness. Policy and the law are unitary, as they are designed for macro-level application.

With that said, it is micro-level experiences that go on to inform the trends they comprise.

Just as we afford understanding to our peers when they are subject to one of life’s many stumbles, it’s only humane to extend that same helping hand to those we don’t know. If the roles were reversed, wouldn’t we expect intervention in the spirit of humanity? After all, they do say that we’re all When asked about what Canada can do, Nero responded simply: “If they connected by six degrees of separation. want to help, they can accept refugees. Like Brazil and Argentina.” He pointed out that sending money is ineffective due to high administrative A special thanks to Nero and Julian for their thoughtful conversation and costs and does not ameliorate the situation or remedy the need for asylum the peace of mind it afforded this listener. for the millions struck by conflict.

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opinions

Election victory first of many hurdles for president-elect Arnold Yung CONTRIBUTOR Last week, Taiwan elected its own president. In what is perceived as an expected outcome, Democratic Progressive Party (DPD) candidate Tsai Ing-wen won the Republic of China’s national election by a landslide victory, beating her main opponent Eric Chu of the Kuomintang (KMT) by more by 30%. Traditional KMT strongholds in the island’s northern cities were swept away by the DPD’s green tsunami. Widely seen as a period characterized by support of Taiwanese independence, the elections propelled the DPD to power and ousted the pro-Chinese KMT party, putting into question about the island’s future sovereign status.

Dubbed ‘Little Ying’ by local media, the new president’s political platform contrasted heavily with the previous KMT cabinet. Having obtained a Masters in Law at both Cornell University and the London School of Economics, the intellectual is known to be a reserved and bookish catlover, offering the DPD a fresh respite from the loud and outspoken leaders that it was affiliated with. Often seen as a Chinese “Angela Merkel” because of her plans of creating a moderate “consensus,” Tsai is vocal about LGBT rights and aims to preserve the country’s current sovereign status, utilizing her experiences in the National China Affairs office to build effective negotiations. Despite having lost to the now-outgoing president Ma Ying-jeou in the previous election, Tsai was able to build momentum by utilizing growing dissent towards the pro-China government to her advantage. In particular, the island’s disenchanted youth was crucial to her victory with fears of further Chinese assimilation incentivizing a large portion of the demographic’s participation in the Sunflower Movement two years ago.

However, what is most remarkable about this victory is the history that Tsai makes as the first woman to be a Chinese Head-of-State. Tsai stands out in a society where patriarchal relationships dominate everything from politics to cultural practices. When women have managed to gain political power, Chinese history is notorious for its harsh treatment of them. Take for example Empress Wu-Zetian, lauded by some for securing the empire from collapse but frowned upon by committing infanticide to secure her throne and ‘murdering’ opposing officials. A more recent case includes Mao Zedong’s wife Jiang Qing, blamed for the deaths perpetrated by zealous Red Guards during the catastrophic Cultural Revolution period between 1966 and 1976. Yet, Tsai managed to win over dubious citizens with her sharp debating skills and moderate tone.

Nevertheless, fraught obstacles lay ahead: a weakening economy and cabinet resignations are some of Taiwan’s domestic problems. Since victorious communist troops drove the KMT into its current island enclave in 1949, China-Taiwan disputes are ongoing and full of tension.

Hundreds of Chinese citizens have flooded Tsai’s Facebook page, cautioning her to refrain from declaring independence, while the People’s Daily has declared immediate retaliation should their ‘overseas province’ seeks separation from the motherland’s embrace. Ultimately, the next few years will challenging for ‘Little Ying’ as she is tasked with the establishment of a middle ground between separation and assimilation. This is whilst withstanding the juggernaut that is China, yet creating an identity distinct from the mainland. I bid her good luck.

Peter Paul CONTRIBUTOR Nearly four weeks of break has been both good and bad, consisting of frequent feasting and feeding. Lots of unstructured sleep cycles and featuring copious consumption of cocktails.

Now? I’m finding that my pants are suspiciously snug. The days consist of snowfall and grey skies; a weather trend that is steady at -11°C without the wind chill.

The first week of the winter semester was, to say the least, challenging. Of things to be anxious about, school marks shouldn’t have made my list—alas, they did. The anxiety was triggered by a personalized January 8th email from the Faculty of Arts and Science inviting me to FreshStart, a conference to “build resiliency skills and learn how to bounce back from academic stumbles.” Did they know something that I didn’t? ROSI could be labeled as being worse than impotent, either closed or under repair until the winter semester started. Basically, the town of Pins & Needles - population: you.

There was also that mature student mistake. When I enrolled back in the summer, I chose classes that seemed interesting and fit the schedule – course codes be damned. It turns out that three were semestered which meant I should have chosen three more for winter; emphasis on the word ‘should.’ I’m now in that tenuous position of being wait-listed. Like a pessimistically-propelled powerball lottery, some sort of misfortune must befall another for me to gain. Very Machiavellian, who just so happens to be POL200 winter semester required reading. The net effect? I must carry a seven-course workload and all the work that entails. Near daily academic email reminders of this fact don’t help at all. Pins & Needles is a dreary place in which to live.

It was also a week book-ended with some iconic deaths: David Bowie and Alan Rickman were both body blows to the brain. I was learning to play and sing Bowie’s “Space Oddity” when the news broke. I loved Rickman’s nebulous villain-heroes Hans Gruber, Severus Snape, and (my personal favorite) the frustrated thespian that was Alexander Dane/ Dr. Lazarus. It wasn’t that they were finer or better than others taken through illness, circumstance, crisis, and (very sadly) another round of terrorist attacks this week. It was probably more the shock that comes when someone—who is seemingly timeless and ageless through their music, movies, or pop culture significance—turns out to be just as mortal as you and I. When that lens suddenly opens, lots can change. At the end of the day, this is school. It’s not the same as primary school or secondary school yet it is. There are far worse things in life than being in school even if your marks weren’t as high as you had hoped, or you didn’t get into the courses you wanted, or your schedule and lecture rooms are in chaos and you’re trudging around frantically while simultaneously freezing your face off. I am still learning to play “Space Oddity” and just finished watching Galaxy Quest.

Just like that, you find yourself on a brisk and liberating cakewalk; leaving the town of Pins & Needles.

People are at the centre of the debate on policing power Mariam Jammal STAFF WRITER In the last three years or so, the topic of police brutality promptly rose to the forefront of public discourse. In 2015, it reached a peak as more and more police were being acquitted for the murders of young black men across the United States. It has become evident that this otherwise public power remains largely unchecked and police forces are overequipped with arms and under-equipped with the training necessary to diffuse situations without resorting to violence. While the United States comes to mind, this is not an isolated phenomena exclusive to our neighbours in the South. In fact, there is still a significant amount of tension and conflict that bleeds over the border. Take for example the case of Sammy Yatim, an 18-year-old armed with a knife shot at nine times and subsequently tased on an empty TTC streetcar. The claim that he was armed and dangerous quickly turned dubious after witnesses and recorded footage raised serious questions about the amount of force used. Although the police officer has been charged with second-degree murder and attempted murder, his trial is still in progress.

It was recently revealed that the Toronto Police Service is set to purchase military-style assault rifles, further contributing to the militarization of a municipal police force. It seems that the solution being employed to alleviate high-stress situations is not to improve police protocol and response, but to use fear tactics and weapons against the public. This is the real issue to discuss: if we are observing an escalation in violent police responses and they claim to be following protocol, then why is the protocol not equipped to handle these situations? Why isn’t this the most vital part of police training? It is so easy to simply say these incidents are racially motivated—which in large parts is very true—but more concerning still is the fact that this behaviour is not only justified, but apparently taught as well.

The police are people we have chosen to protect and serve us, to exercise good judgement and keep the peace. At the same time, the police are meant to protect our rights and freedoms, most fundamentally, the right to life. No one is justifying Sammy Yatim’s actions in 2013, however he had the right to be tried in a court of law rather than have his life cut short because protocol dictated that all other options have been exhausted. Our police are unprepared to deal with high-risk situations and it comes at the expense of 18-year old lives. When did we become so accustomed to a trigger-happy way of life?

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opinions The struggle to be taken seriously as a female athlete is very real Briana Armson STAFF WRITER Female professional athletes continually strive to be viewed on a level playing field with their male counterparts. In recent years, there have been countless examples of gender inequality, including an attempt of legal action against FIFA for the 2015 Women’s World Cup. Female soccer stars from around the world banded together last October to fight FIFA and the Canadian Soccer Association on their decision to use artificial turf in the tournament. This was the first instance of turf ever being used in the World Cup, while men’s teams have played on natural grass since 1930. Well-known players such as American lead scorer Abby Wambach spoke publicly about the issue, arguing that turf is more dangerous to play on and action must be taken in order for female athletes to be treated with fairness. Although the coalition eventually withdrew their case in January o 2015, it raised awareness regarding the treatment of women in sports and garnered a large amount of public support.

According to Women in Sport, a UK-based organization that aims to increase female participation in sports and promote equal standards for both sexes, only seven percent of all sports coverage features women’s athletics. When women are the focus of attention, it is not their athleticism and skill that is being addressed, but rather their appearance, love lives, or other personal matters. A video posted in October 2015 entitled “#CoverTheAthlete” succinctly demonstrates the lack of respect female athletes are given through the way in which they are interviewed. In the video, interviewers pose questions that women athletes face regularly to male athletes like Sidney Crosby and Michael Phelps. One of them is “If you could date anyone in the world, who would it be?” The video ends with a clip of Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard being told by her interviewer to twirl and show him her outfit, followed by the text: “Male sports coverage would never sound like this. How come female coverage does?” The video effectively illustrates how trivializing such questions are, disregarding the woman’s athletic prowess and professional success by focusing on frivolity rather than accomplishment. The 2011 Rogers Cup in Toronto also employed this sexist approach with their slogan, “Come for the ladies, stay for the legends.” The posters were ultimately taken down and the slogan changed, however the insinuation that female players are valued more for their looks than tennis capabilities would not be forgotten.

The road to equality for women in sports is an uphill battle. On the bright side, goal line technology was used in the FIFA 2015 Women’s World Cup for the first time and FIFA has committed to the usage of grass fields in the 2019 tournament.

Athletes like Wambach and British high jumper Isobel Pooley continue to speak out about gender discrimination in sports, while groups like #CoverTheAthlete invite viewers to take a stand and participate by sending the hashtag to major sports news networks. Women in sports will continue to fight for an equal playing field, and through this adversity, are showing the rest of us ultimate strength.

Grandma Andi Bordt CONTRIBUTOR Photography has always been my artistic strength, but strictly in the digital medium.

This series of photos were an exploration of black and white film. I focused on basic composition while shooting this roll of film.

The priority of this series was more on the final product (developing the roll) than the actual objective aspect. This series was the first experimentation of black and white film for me with the responsibility of developing it myself.

In Hong Kong, a bookstore becomes a piece in a complicated bureaucracy Arnold Yung CONTRIBUTOR Hong Kong is full of strange stories.

Take for example the Causeway Bay Bookstore; a crammed and run-down shop best known for selling paperbacks about old men and their intimacies (read: Chinese politicians). Despite being tucked away in an antiquated apartment block that stood out as a blemish in the city’s glitzy shopping district, this popular business is being involved in a large political controversy concerning the sovereignty of Hong Kong. This seriousness has grown to a point where even the United States has become concerned.

But what happened?

Our story follows an unwilling protagonist by the name of Lee Bo, the bookstore’s titular owner. On December 30th, Lee took a stroll around the neighborhood and then, without any notice, disappeared from the public eye. Concerned, his wife reported his disappearance to the Hong Kong police, only to receive a fax letter from her husband saying that he has urgent business to conduct in China. This rightfully raised some eyebrows as Lee’s proper documentation for border crossing was left at home. Media investigations then revealed that four other employees at the bookstore had also disappeared without a trace.

However, this article is not to question whether or not Lee Bo was kidnapped (mainland police later concluded in the mainland after all), but what this scenario means in the larger picture.

The sudden disappearance in a city rife with anti-mainland dissent and distrust against the current administration, sent the local netizenry into a widespread paranoia at

the thought that Lee Bo may have been kidnapped by mainland policemen. Since policing duties are handled

by Hong Kong’s government, a ‘kidnapping’ of this sort would not only violate Hong Kong’s territoriality, but put the city’s sovereignty into question. Adding onto the fire is the negligent attitude exhibited by government leaders when asked to address the issue. Therefore, a large movement locals­—6000 to be precise­—gathering outside of a government office building demanding answers, should not be surprising. The occurrence and ensuing public reaction is a serious blowback to the prestige and legitimacy of the current Hong Kong government.

Suffering from a lack of credibility, current Chief Executive C.Y. Leung is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Stalling further action would draw greater blowback from the populace, yet pressing questions might jeopardize his current relationship with Beijing. ‘689’ as his netizen friends have named him (‘689’ being the number of votes he obtained in the Chief Executive elections) faces accusations of selling out the city through his attemps of bringing down the political system that arranged for Hong Kong to have special sovereignty rights with China.

Ultimately, this is a classic example of when relatively small, independent phenomena contest proportionality.

Already, many local bookstores around the Hong Kong area are pulling titles that condemn the current Chinese regime. Readers will be denied the opportunity to peruse books such as “China’s Godfather: Xi Jinping” and “The Secret emotional life of Zhou Enlai.” Meanwhile, both proestablishment and pro-democracy politicians are pressing

the same demands to seek answers about the disappearance cases. When you have two rivals, whom have become known for their ferocious opposition with one another cooperating on the same issue, something substantial must have changed. The government needs to show leadership in the face of calamity, or see its accountability plunging into greater depths.

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sports

DON’T FEEL BLUE

Reasons for 2016 Blue Jays Optimism Alex Wichert SPORTS EDITOR After a winter of departures, it’s understandable that Jays fans are a tad pessimistic. From Alex Anthopoulos heading to L.A. to David Price signing with Boston, there were more than a few heartbreaking moments for the ball club and its fans. It doesn’t help that Mark Shapiro has quickly become one of the least popular figures in Toronto sports with his acute ability to offer players significantly less than they really deserve.

Despite all of the tumult, though, there really is reason to be optimistic. Let’s take a brief glance at some promising areas for the club.

The young pitching core remains intact and will look to take the next step this season. To be fair, the losses of Daniel Norris and Jeff Hoffman at last year’s Trade Deadline did thin the Jays’ crop of potential stars and fans have reason to be concerned that one, if not both, will develop into the next Noah Syndergaard. Still, the fact that Marcus Stroman, Aaron Sanchez, and Roberto Osuna all remain with the club and will look to be pillars in the 2016 starting rotation is cause for hope. Each hurler has proven he can perform in some capacity as a Major League pitcher; now that they are all known throughout the MLB, the challenge will be to continue their development.

Let’s not forget about the players who didn’t see much time due to injuries or the depth of the club. Dalton Pompey and Devon Travis are going to have even greater opportunities to add to a group that is still brimming with offence. Sure, the loss of Ben Revere hurts the club’s contact prowess and overall speed. The players who will look to become regulars on the team, though, will provide more than enough in return. Plus, the Jays didn’t trade Revere for nothing: closing pitcher Drew Storen will help make Osuna’s possible transition to a starting position that much smoother.

There is also, of course, the fan base. After last year’s success, the Jays will be a popular ticket of entertainment and will have the advantage of a raucous Rogers Centre for half the year. Going into a stadium as the rival squad and having to compete with the opponent and their fans can be daunting – just ask Johnny Cueto when he rolled into Pittsburgh a few Playoffs ago.

It will be difficult to repeat the success of last year, and there are question marks surrounding some of the club’s top pending Free Agents. However, one thing is certain: Toronto fans have several promising reasons to avoid becoming Jay-ded just yet.

Thoughts on being in a football pool – and having to pay up Alex Wichert SPORTS EDITOR I’ll be honest. I haven’t watched much football in the past. And by “much”, I mean I haven’t watched any other than the footage which has appeared on the TSN highlight reels. So it might come as a bit of a surprise that, much to the chagrin of my internal sports ego, I found myself in a football pool this year. I was already in my standard NHL pool but, due to a series of events which brevity insists I abstain from dwelling upon, also cannonballed right into an NFL pool with the high stakes of five dollars a week.

Now, that might not seem like the kind of whirlwind rush a casino would brag about but, when you’re finding the majority of your selections to be consistently wrong, it doesn’t really matter what you paid. It’s downright disheartening. The pool I’m in focuses only on spreads, rather than actual player selections, but – wouldn’t you know it – it’s just as tough to make those picks.

Quite simply, we started taking things seriously. We started watching the games.

This seems like a fairly self-evident point, but it’s rather surprising how many pool participants – in any format, in any league – think they can get by on detached logic alone.

I’ve heard many people bemoan the fact that, despite their skillful draft selections and their foolproof trade strategy, their pool teams are languishing in the bottom part of the league. That’s because there’s another element which is required, something so obvious that it might appear unnecessary to even mention. I’m going to mention it anyway.

If you want to win, you need to really take an active interest in the games. Luck only runs so far. A ho-hum approach to games is not conducive to success, regardless of how many analytics websites you use and how great the chemistry of your lines appear in NHL 16. I used to think that, if you did enough research and found useful online statistics, you could ace your way to the top of a pool. Without actually watching the games and discussing the events, though, there are so many things you miss. To paraphrase Brian Burke, analytics aren’t going to show you a guy blocking a shot with his face.

If there’s one thing to take away from this, it’s that losing is not fun. Whether you’re playing the sport or competing through your know-how, it’s a much better ride if you’re winning.

Take the extra step and watch a rival team’s match, or focus on one player for an entire game if you’re considering her or him as a selection. It seems simple, but it really works.

Even if you’re not in a pool, it can be an excellent learning experience.

But for those of you who are in pools, and especially for those of you who are football fans, this piece has hopefully given you something on which to puntificate.

Before I convince you that this piece is simply to ensure I have an audience for my bemused grumblings, allow me this disclaimer: it is not. Things turn out okay. Or, well, they look to be getting better.

Because, once the Playoffs started, everything changed. The dynamic duo of “The Punt Pals” (the pool tandem of me and my Dad) seemed to turn a corner when it came to our selections. After the first two weeks of the Playoffs, “The Punt Pals” sit tied for second in the league and are firmly hoping the Cardinals continue to win games. Spreads are being beaten, over-under questions are being navigated, and – perhaps most important of all – predictions are actually coming true. What changed between the scuffling, clumsy gait of the regular season and the graceful navigation of the Playoffs?

faith & thought

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Que Sera, Sera: One Laugh at a Time Ceci Woodard CONTRIBUTOR After almost two years of being away, I went home to see my cheerful 96 year-old Grandma Sally (actually christened Nora), now delicately established in the “looney bin” as she calls it. She is not crazy, but her short term memory is completely shot. It would be dangerous to have her anywhere but a locked-down, nurse patrolled seniors’ home, complete with calm pastoral wall murals and wooden hallway banisters. Though my family has established a daily schedule of visits to keep her cheerful and feeling loved, we still receive a daily flood of frantic phone calls from my confused grandma. I took one of her calls: “They let me have my things in this hotel.”

“Grandma, it isn’t a hotel, it’s your new home.”

“No it’s not, this isn’t my home. Where am I? Am I in Edmonton?”

“No Grandma, you’re in Calgary, you moved from the Colonel Belcher to the place you are now.”

“Calgary? What’s going on?”

“Grandma, do you feel confused?”

“Yes, yes I am very confused.”

“That’s alright; let me explain it to you.”

And so the conversation goes. Sometimes she gets angry that her husband—who’s been dead for thirteen years— hasn’t visited her or that she hasn’t seen any of her children in weeks. When I reminded her that general confusion is completely understandable, given the fact that she is 96, a look of profound relief flashed across her face and a jubilant “Holy Christmas!!” escaped her lips, “that explains everything—96, well isn’t that something.”

Elizabeth McDermott FAITH EDITOR I once heard someone speak about the history of art. She spoke of the fact that the artist has made a choice to tell us something through a particular form, that is, a form of art—poetry, song, sculpture, and so on. These things, therefore, must be something for others that only art can be. And I think it is when we marvel at the truth of what the art shows us that we understand why she said this in a poem, why his statue can better express this than his words could, or why some thoughts must be set to song.

And perhaps because of this, Love has a presence in art that reassures us of His Truth. One departs from certain writers with a horrible feeling that they have never loved, and certain that they have never been in love. But looking at a statue, it is possible to say that I understand what he feels; I have felt that!

Or to be struck by a line in a poem whose rhythm and rhyme seem to somehow express a love exactly as it is felt.

The artists, whose works we marvel at, then know what it is to love, and this makes sense! They must feel that there is nothing to do with the Love in their lives but to take the Beauty that they have seen and attempt to tell others through the most beautiful ways they can. And those who love, and see what Love has moved others to create, are reminded that this is true and as beautiful as they had thought.

Grandma Sally. 96 years of life and I was lucky enough to experience just a few of them. Everything about my little Puerto Rican born, New York raised grandmother is cheerfully elegant. Her house smelled of Estée Lauder perfume, and, when the time was right, Pillsbury Crescents. From the plush cream carpet to the big mirror that allowed us to model her old fur coats and cocktail dresses, grandma’s golden lit bedroom was a magical kingdom of endless fun.

It was there that I learned about lipstick, perfume, pearls, diamonds, and everything beautiful. Because of Grandma Sally, I used to think that human beings developed through a three stage process. This inevitable course was keenly observed and is outlined below: Stage One: Childhood Sample Population: My sibling Conclusion: Children are horrible human beings.

Stage Two: Middle Life Sample Populations: My parents.

Conclusion: Those of the middle life are less horrible than those in Stage One, but are in desperate need of some major renovation Stage Three: Old Age Sample Population: Grandma Sally Conclusion: Kindness and generosity is embodied in all old people.

I even remember thinking that when I finally reached maturity, I would always look and smell beautiful, be kind and good, and love all children equally. I yearned to be old…

After my grandpa died, every weekend was a sleepover at grandma’s. Every Saturday we would head to Market Mall for lunch at Moxie’s and then spend a couple of solid hours people watching—which basically translated into hours of hysterical laughter. These weekly laugh attacks were exacerbated by the fact that none of us ever knew what we were laughing at. One time it got so bad that between gasps she cried: “I am peeing!” We laughed harder and subsequently found ourselves in the women’s washroom advising our grandmother on how to best deal with her conundrum. I was ten, and my sisters were eight and six. After the mall escapade we went home and enjoyed root beer floats to celebrate all the fun we had.

My family recalls the tragedy of my tiny grandmother falling headfirst into the supermarket deep freezer. It ended grimly. The clerk and grandma were so beside themselves in fits of laughter that nobody could get her out. She peed her pants and my Tennessean grandfather had to be called from work to save the day. Lesson: one must never act embarrassed; it makes others uncomfortable. Then there is the time she and her sister Alice wanted to experience real life while living in Columbia, so they stood in a bread line. Again, the day ended in fits of laughter as sniper fire randomly broke out and she had to flee—yes—she fled through fits of uncontrolled laughter—yes—laughter. These are just the few of Grandma Sally anecdotes.

It is very hard to see my perpetually cheerful Grandma forget to be cheerful. Yes, she forgets to be cheerful. Years after those sleepovers at Grandma Sally’s had ended, I discovered that we had been sent there to keep her from giving up. After my grandpa died, I was told that grandma would lie in bed and fight the urge to die. “God, not while the little ones are here… help me get through the night…I don’t want them to find me.” Did I ever think how much grandma suffered after the death of her beloved husband? I suppose my grandmother’s perpetual cheerfulness was founded on something much deeper. She chose to be cheerful and I am so grateful. Her choices throughout those years are some of my happiest childhood memories.

On a recent visit to the seniors’ home near my house in Toronto, I found myself clutching the hands of a teary-eyed lady. Her name is Mary, she is from Lebanon, and she knows suffering. Looking deeply into my eyes, she said: “I would like to share with you the wonders our good God has done in my life…you would never guess that the most painful events are usually the loving hand of God. We can only see this with time and perspective.” It is worth it.

I guess my little grandma, now a bag of bones, is an opportunity, a wonder that God has given my family. Though the memories of learning to laugh at ourselves and choosing to take life in perspective are beautiful, it is nothing compared to the opportunity that lies before my family. It’s not about me remembering my grandma in that happy light; it is about loving her unconditionally no matter what pain is involved. Her very existence is valuable.

The last night I was there, she was tired and confused and didn’t quite understand what was going on. I gently put her rosary in her hand and gave her a long hug. After leaving I asked the nurse to put her to bed to which the tired nurse scoffed and said: “I can’t do anything with her ‘till she has done her rosary…she won’t let me.” There are important things, and then there are more important things. I think grandma has figured it out.

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