First generation immigrants -----you know this well if you are one----- move in a world between what they were and what they will become. Having uprooted themselves from their well-known spaces, they seek new roots in unknown lands. But while such roots start to grow, great perils arise. This "nowhere land", which is the place inhabited by them during the first years of their arrival to countries such as the USA and Canada, is deep in ambivalence. It allows for the greatest of gains ---not simply monetary--- and for the greatest of losses as well. Do you see they are much like artists?

But I guess many might not know what this feels like. When people respond; "My grandparents were immigrants", they miss the point. So you can do the following exercise in imagination, although it is VERY inadequate. Have you ever tried learning a new language and going to your first few classes? Immigrants face this daily, but with radically higher complexity. Did you feel the fear of not knowing? Did you feel the fear of making a mistake? Did you have a caring and truly understanding teacher? Did you feel how relaxed it was when you finally went outside the classroom? Well, immigrants cannot leave the classroom.

(If you are interested in immigrants ---as I deeply am---- you might want to see the stunning documentary: Wetback: The Undocumented Documentary [link]

I assure you, you will understand the gap between rich and poor countries much better than you think you do. For the gap is not a question of numbers, but a question of people. )