Summary

In “Here Comes the Boat” (45), Mina explains how she gathered with other aid workers on a beach an hour’s drive from Skala Sikamineas, anticipating the arrival of a refugee boat. She describes the sea as gray at first, and notes visual transformations as she watched the boat near: changes in the weather, which shifted to rainy and back to sunny, and how the boat appeared as a speck on the water before becoming distinct. Emma expressed her annoyance at the young volunteers, anticipating that they might try to take selfies with the boat. After the boat became visible, the sea looked blue and recognizable to Mina. She felt a sense of nostalgia at hearing the refugees’ “Arabenglish” (49), and a conversation between a man and his mother reminded Mina of speaking to her own mother. She attempted to help a Syrian woman named...