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For many immigrants (not all, because this is not a generalisable problem, but a specific one), conservatism is conviction. It is a safe rule book that has been instilled into them culturally, for many, dating back to the year in which they left their countries.

Image courtesy of British Library Images Swayed by the motion of the Circle Line, I grip the overhead rail with one hand, an Oxford Classics paperback in the other. The modernist fragmentations of Jacob’s Room by Virginia Woolf become increasingly oblique as I read (without a hint of performativity), making me wish I had a hand free to scratch my head. My attention starts to wane. Opposite, a fellow commuter smiles warmly into a screen. A message from someone close, perhaps;

Photo courtesy of Victoria Orozco  via the Unsplash license As we turn our calendars to February, I’m sure many of us have in mind the much-loved (pun intended) Valentine's Day. If you’re reading this article, I’m assuming that you are a like-minded soul who is also going to be single on the 14th, with no lover in sight. Don’t worry, I’m right there with you. As a former Valentine's Day hater, every time February would creep up on me, I used to think: great – for the next th