one of the interesting aspects of this homecoming is seeing canada through lita's eyes.

she has travelled internationally before, canada wasnt her first out of asia experience.

but as we walked through the vancouver international airport, i couldn't help but be annoying and ask her what her first impressions of canada were.

people seem very friendly, she commented. and that initial impression has stayed with her.

whether it was the guy at the car rental place looking at her and telling her she was very brave being a nanny to triplets and a three year old, my gran asking lita to please call her gran, the questions people ask her, the interest in her family's life....people are friendly. (lita @ left. backdrop: gorgeous Lake Okanagan)

i am wondering if it is not more an issue of respect though.

people slag canada off for plenty of reasons (taxation, the fricking cold, price of gas, the over polite-ness (sorry, its true), the habit of defining ourselves by what we aren't, the surly youths spitting and making rude comments on street corners and outside shops, the increasingly dirty cities), but the people here aren't as pre-disposed to judging someone based on the colour of their skin as they are in other countries.

hong kong definitely has a hierarchy. for some reason, white skin is at the top of that hierarchy. i have never really experienced strong prejudice, unless you count the northwest territories preferencial hiring policy, and i can't really.

in the philippines, marietess is a very popular name. there have been times when i have called various hong kong companies (gas, electricity, our management company) and when the stinking automated voice finally puts me on to a person, and my name is asked, upon hearing the "tess", there occasionally is a pause, the voice gets colder and i am asked, "are you a filipina."

and most times i will say, "why does that matter?"

and i never get an answer, they just ask me my last name. can you imagine dealing with that on a daily basis? remember that book BLACK LIKE ME? 

hong kong is very prejudiced against filipinas. from what i have experienced, canada isn't. this respect is new, and very much to lita's liking, i am thinking. going from second class citizen to welcome tourist. what a surprising shock that must be.

she has also made other observations....she cannot get over the huge amounts of pre-packaged food, how canada seems to be a real microwave and packet society. i suppose it is true. the other day she was going to make us spring rolls and nearly expired at the extra foods as my mother's hand disappeared into the freezer section, only to pull out the pre-made version. she took the packet from my mum's hand and returned it to the freezer, and laughing, grabbed the ingredients for the authentic made from scratch version. (lita @ left with sebastian - enjoying the great canadian outdoors)

she also can't believe the sizes of cereal boxes, paper towels, laundry detergent, milk (four litre plastic containers?) yogurt, cleaning materials, vacuum cleaners, ironing boards, washing machines (she is coveting our washing machine and dryer...i know it. so am i). 

it works out the same, she said. in hong kong we have small items to go in small spaces. in canada there are large items for the large houses. ends up, same amount of space.

i suppose that makes sense.

canada is a surplus society.  but it is also a friendly one, and it is great to be back.

Comments

[Kate]

I found your site through Linda and have been reading for a while. Glad to hear you are so happy back in Canada. How long are you home for?

[Jen]

Those pictures of Lita are awesome. It's so strange the different predjudices in the world. I'm glad that you are all having a great time.

[historygirl]

Wait, so when you answer "Why does it matter?" to the "Are you a filipina?" question, how do you get treated? That's just amazing. I'm glad you, Lita and your children are enjoying Canada. The pictures remind me of my beloved Pacific northwest (northern California, actually, but 10 miles south of the Oregon border) where i grew up.

[bp]

i have the book, black like me.

It was pertinent to my life. i grew up white in a predominately black neighborhood.

well, we lived in a white neighborhood, but due to the fact that my mother's friends (and husband) were black, we spent a lot more time in the black neighborhood.

the white kids hated us because we 'ran black' the black kids hated us because we were...uhm...white.

and my baby sister was caught in the middle.

however, i treasure that aspect of my life.

for whatever it is worth.

[mollyv]

I am fascinated by the washer and dryer comment. Do you not have a washer and dryer in Hong Kong. OH, please, tess, tell me you do. I might have to cry for you. How would you handle triplets and Seb without one. I am seriously worried down here in Fl!
love,
molly

ps - love hearing about your trip!

[knobody]

oh man. if lita thinks it's bad there, she should just see the conspicuous consumption of a sam's club. by big boxes of cereal, do you mean 1.2 kilos (just checking a box from the pantry)? i would love to see her eyes the first time she walks into a super wally world (you would have loved to see mine, i was on my way home from a rush concert ;). and then there is football season. the array of bull gator motorhomes lined up is conspicuous consumption at its best.

it's always interesting to get an outside view on the western way of life. it reminds us that we are not the only ones on the planet, and not nearly as important as we may think.

[bonnie]

Michele sent me to Charles and he sent me to you! You are a precious mother--what darlings you have! I live in Seattle and appreciate the close proximity to beautiful Vancouver.

We have eleven children and I always hoped for multiples. That never happened--I'll just be happy for you!

[Laura]

Love reading about your excursions in Canada!