The Romanian diaspora is estimated to be 4.4 million.
People have migrated for centuries to find a better life, to access education, etc. The push and pull factors are open-ended. We can be very objective and analyse the benefits and the detriments.
As a child of an immigrant, I have learned to live with what it means not to belong. I know what it feels like to constantly be pulled and pushed from one culture to another, to learn a new language, to watch my mother long for home, and to watch my grandmother lose children and grandchildren.
So what about the people left behind?
The grandparents, who cry on the phone asking: "When are you coming home?" You break their heart when you say you don't know; there is college, work and flights are expensive. To ease their mind, and yours, you make unstable promises and live in hope that perhaps, one day, you will find your way home.
