Sylvanna Devlin

Through the eyes of an immigrant

America, thanks to certain politics, is on the world’s shit list again. And other immigrants and asylum seekers are having a hard time.

With institutional racism, homophobia, and a generally sexist history, many on the left wing no longer see themselves as Patriots. They may even say they’d love this country a whole lot more if it wasn’t currently a bit… divided.

If you love someone or something you want to fix what’s broken and all.

But I want to point out an aspect sworn about by other countries. The English are particularly unwelcoming of Americans“Sloppy Language usage.” And indeed the fluidity can be frustrating as context is everything and soundbites steal their lies from true statements that actually mean something else.

But it’s a living language. It’s supposed to change. It’s supposed to be flexible. And with the ease and fluidity of American English they are so naturally used to listening for context that if you’re struggling to communicate? They’ll meet you half way with what you seem to be saying. If they’re wrong you want to change your wording anyway!

It’s perhaps easier for me to appreciate the American Dream. While I myself am on my “down and outs”, my father came to this country barely able to afford furniture – and not always.

A stuffed bear I had gotten for Christmas was really too expensive, but I loved it so much they bought it anyway. Hardly the pile of toys people imagine.

My Dad has more flexibility now even if he does still panic about money. Post war Britain was like that and my childhood was long enough ago to be affected.

Now I’m out and struggling. I’m one step from the homeless shelter I was in last year. And that was one step from sleeping in my car.

I don’t really know the why, but okay. I was cut off for a while and I have disabilities. I couldn’t climb out without help from “The System”.

But I am climbing out.

I also had a pretty serious suicide attempt this past July. In England I wouldn’t be worth saving really. I would be viewed as another poor person and they wouldn’t have tried what my ER surgeon managed.

He did near experimental surgery to save me. New ideas barely out of medical speculation. I didn’t ask but it might have been the first it was done. I’m still here because my heart would beat but not so anything about oxygen even with a tube down my throat. Lungs just weren’t able to get the message in.

So they drew my blood out one vein,, oxygenated it, and put it back in. I had an external machine as a second heart for a while. And it worked.

I was damn serious. I don’t know at which point but they also has to do CPR. It was intense.

But they did it. I’m here writing this thanks to a massive team. No one wrote me off as worthless or unsavable. I was in the hospital for three weeks. Mostly asleep for months after. I really fucking tried. But so did the team saving me and they won.

America Medical anything gets criticized a lot – mostly because we’re so fucking big it really can vary and shitting on “the new kid” seems to be popular. Cherry-pick failures in a one hospital city and you could be disappointed.

But even one that screwed me over a few times has my respect from saving my Mom from a brain embolism. Like holy shit.

It was suggested I sue, but it was a county hospital. That budget would have come out of emergency service pay and I don’t fucking think so. They deserved better.

That’s America for you, a little wild and free but with the occasional surprise and a lot of people who are pissed off because they care.

You nutty lot, you love each other and I love all of you. It’s so annoying we have the divides we do because there’s beauty in everyone and this country.

Being told to “go back to ___” hurts like hell. But others use the hard to learn fluid language skills to help non native speakers communicate. They reach out, they try. They may even know a few words. You just don’t get that everywhere.

You usually have to adapt when you emigrate and maybe can’t. But In America it’s embraced as much as it’s criticized. Americans love their diversity!

Good god there’s no way to make this country less interesting! Which makes you as creative as you can be, but not exactly calm.

Sure we’re exhausted by our infighting. So I go back to saying we agree we could all use more sleep and the changes to make it possible.

Vacation time wouldn’t hurt either.

We just need everyone to recognize you only learn the value of a dollar by not having any. Not by pooling it and judging. Boy sometimes my fellow Americans rub me the wrong way. But at least I can talk about it!

The guardian newspaper had to move their headquarters to New York because they’re protected here. You underestimate the value of free speech and you have it in the constitution!

Maybe we could annoy each other less if we agree diversity is good, fluid language skills are better, and we could all do with a fucking nap!

Sorry, just teasing on the last part.

I can here. Because you’re more likely to get the fucking joke. Some of my fellow countrymen are being fooled by an imposter. But I’m not written off. I’m rescued.