Like most major airports, Toronto’s Pearson International divides the arrivals area from the departures so that one is a level above the other. I have passed through both of them hundreds of times and have made this observation: The upper level is a place of sorrow while the lower level is a place of celebration. The upstairs departures area is distinguished by family members weeping and saying farewell, the downstairs arrivals area by family members waving and hugging and crying out their welcomes. Families often immigrate to Canada in stages. The first family members are often young and single, drawn to Canada by its universities or entry-level jobs. After a few years they journey back to their homelands and return with a spouse to begin a family of their own. Over time their siblings make the journey, then their parents and even grandparents as the families gain the means and ability to sponsor them. One-by-one or two-by-two they leave their former land behind and settle into a new country, a new home, until almost the whole family is once again reunited. I have often paused to observe the reaction of a family when a loved one walks through the sliding double doors that partition the secure area of the airport from the public. The person walks through those doors and a cry of excitement erupts from the family gathered below. The traveler runs down the long ramp with arms wide open and is soon smothered in the arms of parents, children, aunts, uncles, friends. They … Continue reading Sorrowful Departures and Joyful Arrivals