NINA LEE AQUINO

In 1994, we were living in the Philippines when my mom (a diplomat) got her next out-of-country assignment: Toronto, Canada. I was 17 years old, about to go into a prestigious university. I suppose I should have been terrified with the idea of uprooting myself but, as the daughter of a diplomat, I’d never gotten attached to any one place; it was something that I was taught, a way to stay rooted for the rootless. But all that changed when I arrived in Ontario. Walking through Pearson Airport, something felt different. Even though I didn’t know what life had in store for me in this country, inexplicably, there were a few things I knew instantly. I remember saying to myself: “This is where I’m going to build my career, find the love of my life, have a family and raise my child . . . this is going to be, finally, my home.” Nina Lee Aquino is the artistic director of Factory Theatre.