Oh! I have a random thought! After being in Vancouver this week, I feel awfully white. Well, at least non-chinese.
This was keenly felt when I decided to visit the infamous Aberdeen Mall in Richmond. This is a ginormous beacon of Asian consumerism in BC. Normally, I'm able to blend into the crowd, but everyone here seemed to be dressed so fashionably that my technical clothing stood out quite a bit. Who wouldn't notice a MEC-clad guy in a forest of Prada? How can you be inconspicuous when driving a bright red PT Cruiser in the midst of BMWs and Lexuses? And the differences go far deeper than clothing or cars. It also goes down as deep as body language and mannerisms. For example, my mannerisms are highly western, and can sometimes be too assertive for some other cultures.
I think this is something that 2nd generation immigrants encounter, especially in the Chinese, East Indian and Arabic communities in Canada. We sometimes have a hard time integrating with the first generation (such as our parents) because we may be too "White". Many of us have problems speaking our parent's language, or in my case, I don't speak it at all.
Yet, on the other side of the coin, how many of you have encountered this situation?
"Blah, blah, blah. So where are you from?"
"Canada"
...pause...
"No, I mean, where are you ORIGINALLY from?"
"Uh... Canada"
It's fascinating. Our parents don't accept us has Chinese, yet other people don't accept us as Canadian. It's like we're in between. We're not small in number either. In Vancouver, there was actually a "lifestyle magazine" called "Banana" geared towards 2nd generation Chinese lifestyles. Until I saw it, I had no idea "2nd generation Chinese lifestyle" existed.
Which leads me to think, can I make a successful business and get stinking rich out of this phenomenon?
Okay, okay... that was my Chinese side kicking in.
Currently reading: The Tao of Pooh
