Sorry my e-mail cut me off! Here goes again. Nonetheless, it has been very difficult living here as an alien -that's what they call us - legal and all. Albeit Canadians are a privileged kind of alien. Mustafa faces different "immigration" challenges than I do.
Turks are not as preferred kind of alien like Canadians are. I know that he faces different
kinds of obstacles at gaining entry to and maintaining status in this country than I do. Now especially as the powers that be start overreacting with their narrow minded witch hunt, living here and re-entry for an alien from a Middle Eastern or Islamic country with legal status has become even more “problematic” for lack of a better word. I get more freaked out and upset by it than he does. At the beginning of all this mess, I kept asking him, if things get so outrageous here we’ll go and live in Canada. I think that this is me overreacting. What I realize is that I really love this city. We have a great life here. Great jobs, and exhibition opportunities for me, fun lifestyle and cultural stimulation and of course the energy that I love about this city. I am remembering something you said when you were here in August during that horrible heatwave about the energy level of the city being exhausting. I said that I find it invigorating. Ok I’ll admit that the energy lately has been a bit nerve wracking. Yes, occasionally, lately I have been feeling a bit psychotic. But generally, I love the “ramped up” energy and open, pluralistic culture. It is similar to Toronto but in a bigger more intense way. Most of all, I LOVE my NYC friends; Turkish, Canadian, Venezuelan, Colombian, British, American.