SO MANY VOICES

 

I’m in the enormous waiting room of an inner city multi cultural health centre reading The History of Tractors in Ukrainian, an amusing story of an immigrant family living in England. The story has many layers and demands my attention especially those parts containing broken English.

 

My concentration is interrupted by the conversations of the patients in various languages. l am fascinated by the chatter, lending an ear to words I do not understand.

 

I’m even more confused when I find that in my mind the patients have replaced the characters in the story as the Ukrainians seek medical attention.