The Boat People (Part 3)

I still cannot believe I finished the Boat People. It's such a great book that delivers so much to the reader without even trying but let me start by saying I am sooooo disappointed. I know what I just wrote contradicts itself, but I like the book in general except the way Sharon Bala ended the book. It is just not ok.

Not Ok. Giphy, media.giphy.com/media/3o7TKKdtygJDxyMN20/giphy.gif. Accessed 13 Dec. 2018.

I understand if the author decides to end the book open-ended, but that usually means an indeterminate sentence, question or any other statement. I think Bala took that concept to a whole new level where she did not even bother to write what happens to Mahindan. I completely hated it, and I can protest it all year that Bala needs to update her book and write one more chapter. I tried to write an email to her actually, but I cannot find her email address online. So If any of you find it, please comment down below because I need to write some complaints and requests. 

(All of us who read The Boat People, writing to Bala)
Typing. Giphy, media.giphy.com/media/ule4vhcY1xEKQ/giphy.gif. Accessed 13 Dec. 2018.

For each of my blog, I try to focus on one thing that I learnt or got from the book. My first blog (The Boat People (Part 1) focused on the concept of "there is always a rainbow after the rainfalls." And this displays throughout the whole book. My second blog (The Boat People (Part 2) focused on how Bala tries to engage with the youth because they are the next generation who can change the system we are in now. In this part, I realized how uncertain our future is and how exciting it is to shape it. Even though we have plans for the future, we have no idea what the future will bring to us. I think Bala would agree on this,

"Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later. - Bob Goff

How I know Bala would agree with this is because there are a lot of references in the book that the future is unknowable and surprising. Anything can happen at any minute. For those of you reading this sitting in class, or a library, trying to read this so you can comment on it. In other cases mark it. You are planning to have a good day today because that's simply your intention. But how do you know someone is not going to call you right now and give you some bad news? How can you know, 10 minutes from now you will be ok? Of course, everyone can take a guess, but no one can ever know what is going to happen. 

Uncertain. Giphy, media.giphy.com/media/xUA7b5JSZHDVoUy0Za/giphy.gif. Accessed 13 Dec. 2018.

In Mahindan's case, I do not think he ever saw the war coming. Maybe he predicted it from the situation, but he never thought that he will find himself in Canada one day. "A new name for a new country, one woman had said. It is like reincarnation." (Bala 358). Sometimes we can refer to the chapters in our lives as reincarnation. We change and evolve, we move and experience new things. None of us can say they are the same person now and when they were back in elementary school. Even our cells regenerate completely every seven years. It's not possible. But this new personality is what creates these chapters. We are not the same person, so our future also cannot be the same. I can also relate to this. When I was 13 years old back in Turkey, I would never imagine that one day I will be in Canada writing this blog. It didn't even cross my mind that I will go to university here. I planned to be in New Jersey, get my English together, go back to Turkey for grade 12 year. But since my personality evolved and changed over the past four years, I decided to stay here with my family. I feel like Mahindan also did not think he will be in Canada and stay in jail for almost a year. Because when he was back in Sri Lanka, with the injured patient, "[he] saw his own potential fate, how easily it could be him on this table, tomorrow or the next day, with no anesthetic and no consolation" (Bala 299). Even though he had a great chance of dying in the middle of a war, he survived not even by himself but with Sellian. 

I believe there are possible futures and one of them happens to occur by chance, or it is influenced by our actions. And sometimes we can detect what can happen in the future depending on our decisions. That is also why people who need to make a decision for their company's benefit have meetings with their workers. More people, the better. So they can evaluate all of the consequences of their different actions without missing anything. I felt that the same situation was happening between Grace and Mitchell but in a sense that they are both determined to their opinions. " 'The vast, vast majority of us want the same things,' [Mitchell] said in a quieter voice. 'Don't lose sight of that.' 'And a tiny minority want other things,' Grace said. 'To attack our way of life. Don't lose sight of that'". (Bala 306). They can look at the same situation but yet propose different consequences. Mitchell focuses on the majority of the refugees and their intentions while Grace is determined to look at everyone as if they are actual terrorists. Both of them right in this situations because both of the events can happen depending on their decisions. But what Grace doesn't understand is "There's no way to know if someone deserves asylum" (Bala 305).

Can't Know. Giphy, media.giphy.com/media/l0HUh4h8bLg4QgVXi/giphy.gif. Accessed 13 Dec. 2018.

As time passes by, this uncertainty is filled with memories, achievements and other moments but "The downside to [the] newfound freedom: more time to worry about the future." (Bala 367). And that's the way we live that cannot be changed. So embrace your future's uncertainty. You will become someone somewhere eventually. 

Side Note:

I am literally in love with Kumi and how honest she is. I personally do not like Grace and how paranoiac she is towards everything. She thinks she is the most important person on this planet since she became an adjudicator. Calm down, girl. "Don't fool yourself, Grace. You're not that important." (Bala 380). Thanks for the savage and honest respond Kumi, I love you :D

UPDATE!

So I just emailed to Bala's assistant. Let's hope for another chapter guys. I'll let you guys know about the updates.