Fatherland

"When I was growing up, my father worked for a United Nations agency. His job meant that I was raised a nomad, moving to a different country every few years: Tanzania, Italy, Ethiopia, Uganda, and England. Annually, my father was granted what the UN calls 'home leave.' When we stepped off the plane in Ghana's capital, Accra, my father would sometimes turn to me, spread his arms wide, and say, "Akwaaba!--Welcome." As many diplomats do, my father moved easily wherever we were. But in Ghana, even more so. In Ghana, he seemed to glide." This personal essay from Orion magazine powerfully explores the intertwined threads of identity, stories and climate grief.

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