‘Welcome to Paris,’ it’s the first time I’ve heard those words. No one has expressed welcome to me in Paris and the person who did was the handsome Arab boy selling me lemons at the Wednesday morning market. It made me feel so nice for someone to simply welcome me; I was very touched by his gesture. I gave him a massive smile and said ‘thank-you very much,’ it was so simple but such a perfectly warm and unexpected feeling from a stranger. Although many people have helped me during my time here in France he was the first to actually welcome me to Paris. Living in Paris has taught me to appreciate the diversity we have in Canada. Difference is much less accepted here and considered much more exotic and that kind of constant attention is exhausting, objectifying, and reductionary (Yes, I made a new word, I felt it was called for).
Although France is a diverse cultural centre there is still a palpable level of resentment for foreigners, even if they are from the French colonies. So although Canada has a reputation for being passive and accepting, I am realizing what a great reputation that is. I feel that we have the ability to be all inclusive nationalists; we support Canada but we don’t do it in a way that excludes all others, or at least that’s my sense of it. European countries and America seem to have this rigid nationalist reputation, even as bullies sometimes but I am really appreciating our under-the-radar status, who needs the messiness of politics when you can be neutral? Indifference really seems to be a valuable trait, as an individual it allows you to let the bad stuff of life roll of your back and keep going and as a nation I think it allows us an open mind and an indefinable set of values, meaning we are free to value anything. ‘Cause who really wants to be defined anyways?
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