I just finished The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini. I can see why this book was a bestseller. It has a very powerful message about forgiveness and redemption. Much of it takes place in Afghanistan and is an epic story of two boys, one who is an ethnic Hazara and the other of a priviledged class who emigrates to the USA. What I started thinking about after reading this book was the fact that people seem to feel more comfortable hanging out with other folks who have the same culture, interests, attitudes. Is this just human nature? Seems so. It also made me contemplate the difference between refugees and immigrants.

I may seem to wandering a bit here but a couple weeks ago at a community party, I listened to a couple of my neighbors comment about how in this area (north Idaho), there never used to be any black folks, now they are seen regularly and isn't that a shame. Another neighbor commented about feeling very uncompfortable going into their neighborhood bank in California, being the only white person and added that this was one the reasons they had moved to north Idaho. I first thought, "You racist b#!ch&*es!," but then I had to admit remembering a visit to my parents in Southern California when my daughter was about 5 and being in a park; Lauren was the only blonde and the only English speaker. A couple of boys were teasing her and she blurted out, "Why don't you speak English!" I'd probably wanted to say that. My parents part of town had become a Syrian/Armenian ghetto. I wondered why these folks didn't learn the language and why I couldn't find any good Armenian restaurants. Now I am thinking that rather than being immigrants they were refugees, if not in reality, perhaps in mindset.

If you are an emigrant/immigrant you are more open to blending in and if you are a refugee your move probably wasn't one you'd have chosen and perhaps you have the thought of going back someday. Learning the language of your new home must not be a priority.

I also have to admit that I have I called myself an "Economic Refugee." We came here to be able to buy a house with a bit of land. It was too expensive in California. In doing so I have refused to blend in to this landscape. I still think of myself as being open-minded, tolerant, adventuresome. These are the traits of a Californian. Ask me if I call myself an Idahoan and I will say I'm a Californian living in Idaho.

The result of these migrations is often resentment. Idahoan natives resent the Californians for coming here and driving up prices. We feel resentful because we can't afford a house in our native place. We don't like change. I have no idea how or what to do solve this dilema; that's the challenge.

And just FYI and mine ...

An emigrant leaves their land to live in another country. The person is emigrating to another country. An immigrant is a person who once resided somewhere else and now lives in your country. (I hope I used these correctly.)