Culture Shock!

Good day and Salaam to All!

I haven't even been away for very long, so why do I feel somewhat culture shocked?!?

Monday I had to go downtown. I took the bus to the metro station. There was a man in front of me at trying to swipe his card through the slot and it wasn't working. This is not unusual and quite annoying, but generally people just try again or use another slot. This man, a francophone guy, just completely freaked out. He started yelling and cussing the lady at the booth and went on and on...

My transfer wasn't working either and I could get through to go the the metro. He was making such a scene that the booth lady was preoccupied with him and I had to wait. Finally some other people told him to F*** Off, and he started going after them with his verbal assaults. He even looked at me and dared me to say something to him, but I was so shocked and disgusted that I didn't say anything. I haven't seen someone flip out and shout such absurdities at someone in quite a while. Yellowknife has its share or drunks and whatnot, but I felt a little culture shocked anyway.

I arrived at my metro stop and was waiting to meet up with someone when this old guy came up to me holding a card to my face that said "Pansy". At first I just ignored him, but he just kept staying around me with these insult card that he was flashing me. So I just turned around and saw out of the corner of my eye that he was making some weird hand motions in my direction. Thankfully he didn't try to talk to me or touch me!

So all in all, it is great to be back in Montreal. I like living in Yellowknife very much, but this trip has confirmed that if/when I do move back to Montreal I'll be fine and once I get all my plans together I'll have a better idea of what to do with myself...