My mom opened a portal for me

My mom was 22 when she gave birth to be at Galang refugee camp in Indonesia. Just prior to that, she got into a fishing boat and sailed into the open ocean. These are stories I remember, yet as a grown man today, I’m trying to imagine what it takes for someone in their early adulthood to do that.

It’s easy to say she’s a badass, a hero, or brave, yet what exactly is in someone’s mindset to flee their home in…