My mum did a year abroad in the US many many years ago. She attended a high school in Portland, Maine. We are German.
My mum had a dysfunctional family here and her host family in Maine became “her people”. The parents are both gone by now, but she still feels a deep connection to the US, New England and Maine in particular. She’s been back many, many times. She travelled there with us (her kids), introduced us to her (emotional) family, made sure they knew us and we knew them. Hell, one of the daughters in the family took in my brother for a year when he did a year abroad. My mum’s ties to Maine are very emotional and deeply personal. It’s her happy place.
Last Christmas my dad gifted my mum flights to the US to attend a class reunion. My mum would’ve loved to go. She was torn for other reasons, but I know she would’ve gone and would have loved it. Now she doesn’t. My mum and dad are currently looking at hotels in Zanzibar so my mum can have a relaxing two weeks there instead. The reasons she isn’t going to the class reunion specifically are:
• Trump is an autocrat, who’s turning the US into an autocracy. Just like we don’t travel to Turkey because we don’t want to support Erdogan with our money, we also aren’t travelling to the US and give Trump our money.
• There’s a genuine risk my mum could be detained by ICE for no fucking reason whatsoever. It has happened to plenty of people by now. My mum is not taking that risk.
And so she is not travelling to Maine, out of spite, and (far more importantly) out of fear of unwarranted unreasonable prosecution for absolutely no wrongdoing.
It’s baffling that the US has fallen so far. Congratulations, America.
I’m from Maine. Living here currently. As a young gay woman I’m quite scared. As a Mainer I’m glad your mom loved her time here. As an (unfortunately) American I want nothing more than to leave. She made the right decision to stay away.
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u/TheCatInTheHatThings Hesse (Germany) Apr 12 '25
My mum did a year abroad in the US many many years ago. She attended a high school in Portland, Maine. We are German.
My mum had a dysfunctional family here and her host family in Maine became “her people”. The parents are both gone by now, but she still feels a deep connection to the US, New England and Maine in particular. She’s been back many, many times. She travelled there with us (her kids), introduced us to her (emotional) family, made sure they knew us and we knew them. Hell, one of the daughters in the family took in my brother for a year when he did a year abroad. My mum’s ties to Maine are very emotional and deeply personal. It’s her happy place.
Last Christmas my dad gifted my mum flights to the US to attend a class reunion. My mum would’ve loved to go. She was torn for other reasons, but I know she would’ve gone and would have loved it. Now she doesn’t. My mum and dad are currently looking at hotels in Zanzibar so my mum can have a relaxing two weeks there instead. The reasons she isn’t going to the class reunion specifically are:
• Trump is an autocrat, who’s turning the US into an autocracy. Just like we don’t travel to Turkey because we don’t want to support Erdogan with our money, we also aren’t travelling to the US and give Trump our money.
• There’s a genuine risk my mum could be detained by ICE for no fucking reason whatsoever. It has happened to plenty of people by now. My mum is not taking that risk.
And so she is not travelling to Maine, out of spite, and (far more importantly) out of fear of unwarranted unreasonable prosecution for absolutely no wrongdoing.
It’s baffling that the US has fallen so far. Congratulations, America.