Napoleon's Journey
January 11, 2025
Before I begin with this brief story, let me introduce myself to give some context to these lines and shape this voice. I’m a Spanish-speaking immigrant, born in the mid-80s, and I’ve been living outside of my home country for two years now. When I first arrived, I had to rethink all the titles, concepts, and definitions I had about myself. I’m not sure if it happened suddenly or gradually, but it happened— and it gave me the opportunity to embark on this journey of self discovery, or at least try to.
I had never written anything knowing someone else would read it, but today I wonder: what’s the point of writing without the faintest hope that someone, in another time or reality, might take the chance to get to know you through what you live, feel, and think?
I’ll finish by telling you that I’ve never experienced mood swings as drastic as the ones I’m going through because of the reduced daylight hours and the weather. Don’t get me wrong—I love winter! As a child, I grew up wishing to see snow and have fun with it. But without the sun, the days turn grey in many ways.
I’ll leave it here for now, but next time, I’ll tell you all about the road trip where we crossed three countries to reach Chatham-Kent. It was filled with laughter, exhaustion, and a lot of fun—two humans, a dog, and a cat learning to live in Canada.
- CARLOS CH.
