"where are you from?"
It's obvious to Aussies that I am not Australian. My Canadian accent is a dead giveaway.
I've lived in Australia for 2.5 years now and still get asked "Where are you from?". I of course always answer proudly with "I'm a Canadian!", then it's usually followed by "Oh, how long are you visiting for?".
This last week in particular I got asked that question more than usual. It was perhaps because we were on holidays. My co-workers, friends, and people that work at the shops I frequent know me and know that I am not a visitor, I am a resident so they obviously don't ask me where I am from.
This question for some reason always saddens me. I love talking about where i'm from and my family etc, but it always brings back those memories and people that I miss.
This question sometimes makes me feel like an outcast. I can often feel people stare at me and turn their heads when they hear me talk because they can hear my accent and immediately know I am not Australian. I know they are thinking "where is she from?".
Perhaps I need to wear a sign that says "I'm Canadian!". Then will people quit asking me and staring at me?. Or worse yet - calling me a "Yankee". And I have to laugh when I got asked if I lived in an Igloo!!. Like seriously?.
The point is this is that I am proud to be a Canadian and I think I will just have to accept that I am an outcast. I have embraced some aussie slang, but will not go out without my shoes on!.
10 comments:
That's so funny. I'm sure there are many things along this line that people don't even think about until they move abroad! I guess you'll just have to keep on with it until you've acquired the accent? :) Do your girls speak with an aussie accent? Or are they somewhere in between?
oh my my, I'm Australian and have known quite a few Americans/Canadians living here...i feel a little disappointed with the people that ask you those questions, and it's just plain rude to call someone a yankee... (unless of course you like it!) I do hope you don't let the crazies scare you... there are some good people here as well :D
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Your blog is super cute!! :) I became a follower! Erin
OHMY! I can't believe that someone asked if you lived in an Igloo! Some people! Haha.
such a cute blog!! love your etsy shop too! :)
An igloo?!! That question irritates me so much!! I live in western Canada, people also think there is snow here all year and that we all have french accents. hahah oh brother. Yay for Canada! ♥
Gorgeous flower pic by the way!!!
xo
I, too, giggled at the igloo question. Seriously, Aussies!
And the fact that they call you a "Yankee" is so weird to me! As someone who lives in the southeastern U.S., usually that term is reserved for people living in the northeastern U.S...and it's typically used in a derogatory way. Cultural differences so funny!!
Oh my gosh, I can totally understand! I am American and am living in France, so when I speak English people unabashedly stare. I can speak French, but why would I speak French to my American kids? I am so much an outcast here, it isn't even funny. At least they speak English where you are!! :)
I don't know where that Aussie that asked you if you lived in an igloo has been hiding all these years, perhaps under a rock in the outback? But I'm an Aussie that knows Canadians DON'T live in igloos, oh and btw, I DO wear shoes outside :)
Don't feel like an outcast, we are such a multi-cultured society to begin with, some people just have no clue, we're not all like that though!
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