I took a day trip to Canada last weekend with a friend. We ventured up to Toronto to get some yummy sushi but didn't expect to be so surprised by the differences between the two countries. It may seem like such a little thing but this is just an example of how nosey and agressive most Americans are in everyday life.
Have you ever looked into another car while driving and it seems as though that person can tell and looks back at you? Classic awkward eye contact. Not only do most of us feel the urge to "creep" on other people while driving but when we're being "creeped on", we immediately follow suit and look back. This doesn't necessarily bother me but this American characteristic is almost nonexistent once you cross the border into Canada.
When we were driving on the QEW last week (a major highway through Canada after the Peace bridge), I noticed that not one Canadian looked in the window of my car. I looked in multiple vehicles, of course, but not one person even looked back to make eye contact! This astounded me and made me realize that even though it's just a few miles away, the Canadian life and people seem much more relaxed and private than Americans. Nobody over there, except border control, cared what we were up to, where we were going or what we did in our car.
I can't help but thinking that this is just a very miniscule example of how concered Americans become with everyone else's business. Granted, the cliché that states, the grass is always greener on the other side, is pretty accurate. I've never lived or spent substantial time in Canada to know that they defintiely tend to stay out of other's lives. (Fun fact: After saying that in the car on the ride home my friend commented, "but the grass really is greener on this side," and he's right.)
If I've learned anything from this experience, it's to be more concerned with myself and my actions/reactions than the business of people that I will probably never see again. Although people watching is one of my favorite things, I will try to be a little more polite about it. Also, I'm starting to seriously edit what I do and how I act in my car when it's light outside. I'm weird in public; I can't imagine what people think when they see me having conversations with the Buddha bobblehead, Daiko, that sits on my dashboard!
Have you ever looked into another car while driving and it seems as though that person can tell and looks back at you? Classic awkward eye contact. Not only do most of us feel the urge to "creep" on other people while driving but when we're being "creeped on", we immediately follow suit and look back. This doesn't necessarily bother me but this American characteristic is almost nonexistent once you cross the border into Canada.
When we were driving on the QEW last week (a major highway through Canada after the Peace bridge), I noticed that not one Canadian looked in the window of my car. I looked in multiple vehicles, of course, but not one person even looked back to make eye contact! This astounded me and made me realize that even though it's just a few miles away, the Canadian life and people seem much more relaxed and private than Americans. Nobody over there, except border control, cared what we were up to, where we were going or what we did in our car.
A picture of Yaong St. in Toronto that I took last weekend.
If I've learned anything from this experience, it's to be more concerned with myself and my actions/reactions than the business of people that I will probably never see again. Although people watching is one of my favorite things, I will try to be a little more polite about it. Also, I'm starting to seriously edit what I do and how I act in my car when it's light outside. I'm weird in public; I can't imagine what people think when they see me having conversations with the Buddha bobblehead, Daiko, that sits on my dashboard!
That's Daiko up top and Reptar is the stuffed lion...and yes we really do have conversations.
Reptar :) I hate when people stare inside my window while I'm busy staring at them. Awkward.
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