For newcomers, Fort McMurray
Eric Abalajon
Smiling in front of tires twice as tall,
her work boots made
larger in contrast
to her slim legs,
the Tough Princess of Alberta
is living the Canadian Dream;
a house, a partner, reunited with her teenage son,
a fat paycheck
from hauling oil sands.
It’s all about mindset, she begins.
I was a nanny, always tired in Hong Kong
when I walked into
the Canadian consulate
during a grocery run. Arriving here,
I made a deal
with my employers. I will watch over
their kids a bit more
if they introduce me
to the right people
in country’s energy sector.
He, on the other hand,
walks out a Salvation Army shelter,
practically homeless, waiting for his ticket home,
the last situation you’d imagine
of life in Canada.
I have no skills, he laments, I’m just a cashier
though I gave up
my job in Saudi to be here.
I haven’t sent money home for months,
my mother said,
I am blessed to have a son like you.
Just get home. We’ll figure it out here.
He once slept outside
Keyano College,
the same school where the Tough Princess
learned to operate heavy haulers.
For newcomers,
Fort McMurray is both large and small.
The government here wants you
to leave, he says,
when they got wind
of crashing oil prices. At home,
politicians promise
to deploy you elsewhere.
The Tough Princess advises others
to be patient, just work hard
and always smile. First rule of royalty.
her work boots made
larger in contrast
to her slim legs,
the Tough Princess of Alberta
is living the Canadian Dream;
a house, a partner, reunited with her teenage son,
a fat paycheck
from hauling oil sands.
It’s all about mindset, she begins.
I was a nanny, always tired in Hong Kong
when I walked into
the Canadian consulate
during a grocery run. Arriving here,
I made a deal
with my employers. I will watch over
their kids a bit more
if they introduce me
to the right people
in country’s energy sector.
He, on the other hand,
walks out a Salvation Army shelter,
practically homeless, waiting for his ticket home,
the last situation you’d imagine
of life in Canada.
I have no skills, he laments, I’m just a cashier
though I gave up
my job in Saudi to be here.
I haven’t sent money home for months,
my mother said,
I am blessed to have a son like you.
Just get home. We’ll figure it out here.
He once slept outside
Keyano College,
the same school where the Tough Princess
learned to operate heavy haulers.
For newcomers,
Fort McMurray is both large and small.
The government here wants you
to leave, he says,
when they got wind
of crashing oil prices. At home,
politicians promise
to deploy you elsewhere.
The Tough Princess advises others
to be patient, just work hard
and always smile. First rule of royalty.
Eric Abalajon is currently a lecturer at the University of the Philippines Visayas, Iloilo. His works have appeared in Ani, Katitikan, Loch Raven Review, Cha: An Asian Literary Journal, The Tiger Moth Review, Dx Machina, and elsewhere. He lives near Iloilo City.
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