“Mr. Watson, I want you here....”

Words along these lines were first transmitted through the telephone, by its inventor, Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. Words meant for his assistant, Thomas Watson. I had heard about this at our dinner table, many moons ago as a child, from deta, my father. He would often initiate such conversations on current affairs, historic moments, space explorations, scientific discoveries, music and other interesting bits. Clippings of these would then be creatively posted onto a collage board that he had made and would regularly update, so that my sister naumi, ma and I could refer to these from time to time. We would eagerly look forward to what the latest was on the board that introduced us to a vast, multi-layered world.

Years later, just the other day, I found myself in the picturesque province of Nova Scotia. This is where Graham Bell spent the later years of his life in the village of Baddeck, in the island of Cape Breton. Graham Bell was born in Scotland and had emigrated to Canada with his parents. Then, there is the Canadian Museum of Immigration in Halifax that curates stories of people who find their way to Canada to make it their home. There is also the Peace by Chocolate story of a Syrian refugee family who had to flee their home country of Syria, leaving behind their lives to start anew here in Nova Scotia, in time building a meaningful chocolate enterprise. And, more...

Immigrants, all of us. A status we share...Scottish-Canadian, Syrian-Canadian, Indo-Canadian, so on... hyphenated identities, a different kind of belongingness. Perhaps, a few common experiences...of alienation and inclusion, loneliness and acceptance, disruption and consolidation, stagnation and rejuvenation, cynicism and trust, split yet rooted loyalties, sometimes nowhere yet everywhere, nuanced perceptions of people and situations that often come with hyphenations, a sliding spectrum of otherness and embracement. Of never really feeling definitive, certain...of anything. Surety would be an illusion in a relative world, wouldn't it? Could this also be a space that disintegrates self-imposed shackles, birthing newness, ingenuity and freedom?

My mind ponders as the camera captures images of the coast lines of Nova Scotia, the historic lighthouse at Peggy's Cove, the water fronts, the colourful heritage town of Lunenburg, the bays, the villages and more lighthouses…

Feels like a few full circle moments.

Love

Mimi

P.S. few pictures and drone shots