(no subject)
Sep. 12th, 2009 04:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hawkwing_lbOkay, I have a question.
What do you say to someone who, when you mention that you've been thinking of spending a year (after you get this college thing done) teaching English in Thailand or China, tells you you shouldn't go to "yellow people" countries?
Really? Seriously? I thought the yellow menace had gone out with phrenology, for gods' sakes.
Of course, aforesaid person - who is a relative, btw - tops this by telling me I should go to Canada instead, because, and I quote, "All the best aristocratic British people went to Canada when the blacks came in to England after WWII."
The stupid, the ignorance, the bigotry, it burns. And makes me want to cry, in frustrated rage sort of way.
What do you say to someone who, when you mention that you've been thinking of spending a year (after you get this college thing done) teaching English in Thailand or China, tells you you shouldn't go to "yellow people" countries?
Really? Seriously? I thought the yellow menace had gone out with phrenology, for gods' sakes.
Of course, aforesaid person - who is a relative, btw - tops this by telling me I should go to Canada instead, because, and I quote, "All the best aristocratic British people went to Canada when the blacks came in to England after WWII."
The stupid, the ignorance, the bigotry, it burns. And makes me want to cry, in frustrated rage sort of way.
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no subject
Date: 2009-09-12 04:34 pm (UTC)While, you know, Canada is nice, a large part of why it's nice is rampant multiculturality; when people talk about the Underground Railroad, it's not always with that much awareness that those escaping by it ended up here, and we also have sizable Asian-descended communities.
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Date: 2009-09-12 04:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-12 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-12 05:57 pm (UTC)They did?
I guess that explains the attitude my grandmother cops sometimes. :D
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Date: 2009-09-12 06:25 pm (UTC)I liked Canada, on brief acquaintance, but there are some endorsements one can live without hearing. :)
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Date: 2009-09-12 06:27 pm (UTC)(On second thought, let me keep her very far away from all of my good friends whom she will like in person and denigrate as a class.)
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Date: 2009-09-12 06:29 pm (UTC)I liked Canada, on brief acquaintance. It seemed an eminently sensible sort of country. With cool people, dinosaur bones, and mountains.
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Date: 2009-09-12 06:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-12 08:39 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-13 12:08 am (UTC)At times like this, you pat her hand and change the topic as fast as you can.
Canada was a fantastic place to live, and if you go off on an Adventure to teach English, you'll not only learn a lot, you'll have some great stories to tell. There's an American guy who blogs about his experiences teaching English to middle schoolers in Japan -- you might take a look at it; it's called "GaijinSmash".
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Date: 2009-09-13 12:11 am (UTC)...I guess I know who, but it's still disappointing.
(Thanks for the blog rec; I'll look into it. Hey, what's the economy like where you are? I have to find work somewhere in the world next summer.)
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Date: 2009-09-13 12:26 am (UTC)The economy is rebounding here, as the Federal government is a steady employer and the ARRA funds are flowing out, so the Beltway Bandits are hanging on, and the service sector is cautiously optimistic. How about the Irish Embassy?
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Date: 2009-09-13 12:41 am (UTC)Right now, I'm just asking everyone I know who lives in Large Foreign Cities (tm) whether their economy is dead or dying yet. Before applying for visas.
Because, you know. I don't want to arrive somewhere and end up camping out. :P
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Date: 2009-09-13 01:37 am (UTC)Do let me know if you end up in this part of the world, and we'll meet up . ;-)
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Date: 2009-09-13 01:40 am (UTC)And the visas appear to be slightly less hassle and cash.
(Plus, the one time I have been through an American customs, and the one time I have been through a Canadian customs? I would go Canadian again any time. Not so much the US version.)
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Date: 2009-09-13 01:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-13 01:55 am (UTC)I'm looking at Toronto, since I'm do not parle courament le francais, and Vancouver is fourteen hours flight time. But it's all very early days yet. I don't even know if I'll be able to afford the visa programme yet.
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Date: 2009-09-13 03:43 pm (UTC)Toronto is a neat city. I lived in Guelph for a semester, and took the bus into Toronto whenever I could.
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Date: 2009-09-13 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-13 07:21 pm (UTC)It's looking like I can't afford the upfront costs of visa and flights and stuff, at least not this year, but it's cool to know stuff. :)
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Date: 2009-09-13 07:25 pm (UTC)Most likely I'll be staying home and doing a couple of boring-ass day courses to qualify me for a security license, and then seeing where I can go to do doorwork or shop security. (Because it pays more than retail. And you don't always have to pretend to like the customers.)
How is your migration coming along?
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Date: 2009-09-14 04:22 am (UTC)Migration. The uncertainty is the killer, in that we accepted the offer on house, and now we wait for the buyer's bank. But we're still reaching too far, away from the comfortable or predictable with this.
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Date: 2009-09-14 04:23 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-14 02:15 pm (UTC)Best wishes, as always.
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Date: 2009-09-14 08:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-14 08:44 pm (UTC)