A Reluctant Immigrant

The Reluctant Immigrant was written to help readers understand what it can really feel like to be an immigrant in a strange new country, far away from home. Many immigrants seeking the opportunity of a better life or a safer life arrive on American shores not able to speak the English/American language. The immigrant in this story, however, was English, and had not expected to ever leave her homeland, an event which led to her life changing dramatically. Life in London, her birth city and where she was brought up, was exciting, beautiful, and full of the richness of its history and culture. During the sixties word went out from large American Corporations looking to employ highly qualified scientists, it was called the ‘Brain Drain’ and her husband qualified. Perplexed and heavy-hearted she forced herself through the process of dismantling her London home and tearing her children away from sad, aging relative and friends. It was never an adventure, but a duty. Gradually the homesickness of the early years began to subside, but feeling dismally equipped to embrace this unwanted adventure she decided that some serious history lessons were necessary. Piecing together the historical underpinnings of each new state, city and town where she made a home naturally brought frequent connections to her own homeland and provided the link and the bridge that brought her curiosity and appreciation of both pieced into play, leading to exciting success.