earth day

[Oksana]

Well now you see I have a totally different experience of the country. It's very racist of course but I was always with the latin americans, the morroccans, the algerians, the spaniards, the british, mostly with the outside crowd. I can see how repulsive it is to be surrounded of those racist people but when you're on the other side you tend to live above all that, it reaches a point it doesn't even matters. I had a great a time. Would love make it back there.

It just made me remember this Nigerian guy. One time in Paris I went in to a McDonald's and there he was, he approached me, he only knew English, the fok up Nigerian English. I was friendly to him, not that my French was any good but I used to get by to survive. He had just arrived like 2 days before and only had something like $200 dollars in his pocket. Knew no one, had no place to go. When I left the restaurant, he follows, but at a distance, and I keep walking and he keeps following me, and on. The image it brought to my mind at the time was that of a dog, like that scene in Looney Tunes where they go and drop off the dog to abandon it. I felt sorry for him. He hung out with me the rest of the day, I tried to give some orientation.

Truly when I go back, I'll either just hang out with S and I or I'll hunt down some foreigners to hang out with and not let anyone know I'm there because I won't be tied to work stuff or expectations. I was on the milky white side and it was just wrong. Thinking about it all now just seriously pisses me off. It's one thing when I see strangers online post shit but when you're stuck across a dinner table listening to this crap, I truly started to hunch over. And it's not like I can't handle a joke. I cop shit for being a gypsy pyrogy eater all the time. Or for being a Yankee Bush lover??? Or for being as brown as an Aboriginal in the summer lol. But I'd never advocate or condone violence, or turning impoverished people away and all that. It was all just a very big wake up call for me.

Many people just do a Contiki tour or go on one or two week trips to countries, do touristy shit and get out. Or even if they live there for awhile, they tend to party their time away or seclude themselves away with expats. I was always with locals and I wasn't prepared for some of that stuff. They don't teach you that in history class and LonelyPlanet doesn't really say "yeah, so and so is a great place but it's totally racist and everyone's a cunt unless you were born there". Canada has a lot of problems but unless it's changed dramatically since I've left it is by far the most tolerant, multi cultural society I have ever lived in. I didn't bloody appreciate it as much as I should have but if I ever go back, I really will.

 

[roguejuror]

I dunno man. Toronto somehow makes it work. There are racist elements like everywhere but the city functions admirably well despite the presence of several large cultural enclaves.

I feel 50% out of place wherever I am.

Dude you have no idea how close I came to buying a ticket. I was on the site with itinerary and CC info filled ready just hit submit, that close. I really wanted to experience it, and I still do, I'm sure I will one day maktub. I didn't want to go and just spend money, I wanted to set something up there. But it wasn't logistically realistic as a foreigner with no link there. It would have meant a much bigger investment to do it as a foreigner.

 

[roguejuror]

milky white is nice