"Where are you from?"
"Scarborough"
"No, where are you really from?"
"Markham and Sheppard"
"No, where are you really, really from?"
"52 Green Apple Way. Why?"
I used to think that it was my Scarborough accent that gave me away. And wondered why people who grow up in different parts of the City of Toronto had different accents…. and then I realized what they were really asking me. Despite having come to Canada when I was four and spending my entire life in Toronto, the message -- intentional or not -- is that I am not Canadian. Because of my skin colour, I'm a foreigner.
"Scarborough"
"No, where are you really from?"
"Markham and Sheppard"
"No, where are you really, really from?"
"52 Green Apple Way. Why?"
I used to think that it was my Scarborough accent that gave me away. And wondered why people who grow up in different parts of the City of Toronto had different accents…. and then I realized what they were really asking me. Despite having come to Canada when I was four and spending my entire life in Toronto, the message -- intentional or not -- is that I am not Canadian. Because of my skin colour, I'm a foreigner.