I am at a conference in a large Canadian city. Getting to the conference hotel was a bit of a challenge, because there is a four-day festival of sorts and the downtown streets were packed with revelers. I was stuck on an airport bus for an hour with two "ugly Americans."
The ugly Americans were befriended by a city native, and one of the nicest guys I've ever overhead. He gave them a guided tour of the city as we slowly drove through the crowds. Upon hearing that the festival was celebrated with fireworks, one of them asked how Canadians celebrated the Fourth of July. It took all of my self-control not to lurch out of my seat and give him a dope-slap. The Canadian patiently explained about Canada Day; the ugly American seemed comforted that Canada Day falls on July 1 -- close enough to July 4.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
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6 comments:
I'm sorry that it wasn't feasible for you to go up to him and say, "Not all Americans are that ignorant. Really."
Heh. I hope they weren't from Michigan. The sheer proximity of Canada (Windsor) along with laxer rules in regards to alcohol (18)and strip clubs (NUDE!) makes it a very popular destination with college students.
I would have thought that they were joking. How can you travel BEYOND U.S. borders (there is a sign still, right? And border patrol?) not realizing you've entered a separate, sovreign country?!?
Then again, I lived most of my childhood in Europe before moving back to Michigan. Americans can be so embarrassing, I'm glad a speak a foreign language well enough to cover-up my true nationality.
Ingrid
I have to say, I actually met an "ugly" -- or maybe just mean, Canadian last fall...
I was tagging along with hubby at a conference in Washington DC. It was warm, I casually mentioned to the woman sitting in front of me that I'm not used to this kind of weather in the fall, as I'm from Minnesota.
She looked at me and said, "I'm from Toronto, so I'm not used to it either." Before I could tell her that Toronto's location is south of where I'm from, she said with a sneer, " Toronto is in Canada", as if I was rather unlikely to know this, being an American.
i was so shocked by her attitude I didn't have the presence of mind to tell her I've spent quite a while in western Candada, and I can see why they don't like people from Toronto much... and that Minnesota which is out by the cold part of Canada -- that part of Canada that the politicians in Toronto generally treat like a third-world country..
I've encountered one or two ugly Canadians in Toronto, too. I guess not everyone can be the best ambassador for their country.
The two gentlemen on the bus were from Dallas. I was grateful they didn't treat the young man to a dissertation about how wonderful George W. Bush was for the U.S.A. -- nay, the world.
Reminds me of a Swiss girl who wondered that Austrians don't celebrate the first of August. On that day, the Swiss celebrate that they got rid of their Austrian rulers....
But then, she was only 15. But then again, Switzerland is somewhat smaller than the US and from her home, she could actually SEE France and their July-14-fireforks, so she could have noticed that other countries have other national hollidays.
There are a number of US students here in the UK, and every year they organise Thanksgiving and 4 July parties...I've asked them if they understood the general oddness of doing so in England, and almost none of them have ever said they did (although one, an English Faculty graduate student, said he thought it was 'ironic'. No, son. No it isn't).
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