Wally Kairuz wrote:
> well.
> i am one of the multi-minoritized on this list so i think i will speak.
>
> it is true that the us has been the ruling culture in the world for some
> time. [why, the very fact that us people call themselves americans as if the
> rest of the continent were somewhere else is quite revealing.]
>
> i consider the ''american'' influence on world affairs and most of all on
> world cultural trends a sad, sad, sad thing -- a bore for us all, including
> ''americans''. but that's just me and what do i know, what with my
> third-world citizen status. if i were offered a green card, i would accept
> it. hey. still, doesn't it seem as though americans believed that all of us
> would like to be like them? how wrong can you be, my handsome and nike shod
> imperialists: we would like to have what you have, that much is true, but be
> like you? no, no, no, no, and no. we accept the fact that in every age there
> has been a roman empire, blessed with force yet doomed to perish, but many
> of us know better.
I don't think all americans will think it is brilliant-like the poor and
disenfranchised ect.
The part i spent two weeks driving thru, New York State, Vermont, New Hampshire,
Maine and a little of Connenticut was the most beautiful land I have seen. I
also drove thru Quebec and Ontario.
The biggest difference between the USA amnd Canada for me was the distinct
change in atmosphere the minute I crossed into Canada.
The 'threat' in the air disappeared. Felt very relaxed. i even spent time in the
cities of Quebec, Montreal, Ottowa and Toronto. I was not troubled at all in any
of these cities. felt safe. I crossed back over at Niagra and the oppressive
feeling came back. Got lost trying to get out of Niagra town and did not find
anybody that helpful. Trying to later get out of Buffalo was worse. People were
niether polite or friendly but impatient. I stayed the last three days of my
trip in West Lebanon in NH. I had a frigthening exerience of leaving my car to
go walk in the woods(some way from West Lebanon) to find my car being 'gone
over' by a truck load of guys, some with guns. I could see them but they
couldn't see me so I did the only thing i could think of-I coughed very loudly
to let them know I was coming back to my car. they left. later i was told they
were just 'looking out for the neighboiurs as they could see this was a
strangers car'. What fucking neighbours? I thought. I was in the middle of
nowhere! Then the 50plus woman in the motel i satyed in started talkign to me
about NH needing independence and how they should take up arms to achieve it! I
checked to make sure I wasn't alseep or stoned.
Everytime I stopped anywhere to eat, the diner would go quiet and people would
stare at me. I still sat and ate, just didn;t take my time!
The scariest time was the only time I drove at night, in Maine, way over east
going toward Pembroke. It was VERY VERY dark and I was lost. i finally saw a
garage with a shop attached. i stopped for petrol and went in and asked for
directions or if they knew a oplace nearby i could stay. Well, it was like
walking into the middle of a Stephen King novel. There were about 4-5 peopl int
here talking to eachotehr. they stopped looked at me up and down and when i
explained my predictament they looked at eachotehr and started to laugh and talk
words I didn't get. i didn't get any help and left rather quickly as I felt I
might become their dinner. The fact i was foreign, lost in the middle of a
wilderness didn't seem to bother them.
I drove on and it startred to snow heavily, visibilty became poor. At one point
I was driving really slowly and heard this awful crunch under my car. I stopped
and got out to see what it was. I was on ice which had cracked. In my
headlights, i could see I had stopped just a few feet short of a precipice. I
slowly backed up and contoinued on what looked like a road. I later came across
a house on the side of the roiad and stopped in front of it to ask for
driections. An old couple answered the door. they ahd evry right to be scared
and watchful but they were not, or hid it well. They just told me to keep going
in the direction i was going and I would come across a town. As i got back into
my car, I realised I had driven across their garden as i was not on the road
like I thought. Of course i did come across a town -hours later.
After that night, I never drove in the dark again. I eventually found myself in
Presque Isle where I stayed in a very cold motel. In the restuarant in the
morning having breakfast, the waitress saw my English money when i opened my
wallet to pay for my food. She asked what it was. i said they were pounds, the
money we had in England. 'don't you use dollars?' she asked, astounded we had
our own money. She then asked if I knew Diana-not that well I said but she was
anear neighbour(which in mileage terms was very true). It was a real pleasure to
see the look on her face. She was thrilled.
Walking thru Presque Isle was very intimidating so i returned my car to find my
water bottle on the passenger seat had frozen solid!
I'd do the whole trip again-it was the most exciting and breathtaking journey I
have ever taken and long to do it again. i'd do it in the cold again too-the
snow and ice and frozen lakes and rivers were amazing and to watch icebergs
floating down the St Lawrence was truly awesome.
