“are you american?”

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, a 19 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

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btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: “are you american?” 🇺🇸

listen, i’m not a patriotic person.

however, if i hear someone ask me, “are you american?” you’d think i live and die for maple syrup.

my response is normally, “um actually 🤓 i’m canadian,” and then i start ranting about healthcare and gun laws if they roll their eyes and say, “well, it’s basically the same thing.”

i don’t even know where this patriotism suddenly comes from. i’m literally going to school in the states, i have no room to talk. 😭

i have to admit as well that canadians and americans pretty much sound the same except if you catch a “sorry” said in the very canadian way. funnily enough, that’s how i found out one of my hostel roommates was canadian — she even lived in the gta! such a small world.

while traveling, i get this question more than ever because the first topic of conversation is always “where are you traveling from?” or others just assume based on another person’s accent.

if i had a nickel for every time i was told “oh wow, i thought a stupid indian accent would come out of your mouth,” i would have one nickel. but still, that’s one too many. 😐

i didn’t even know what to say in response to that. my friend and i just looked at each other and awkwardly went, “haha …”

the audacity!

anyways, back to my canadian patriotism. no country is perfect, but canada is home to the struggle and perseverance my parents succeeded through while immigrating. it’s home to countless memories and road trips. and it’s home to the privileges i’ve been fortunate enough to live by.

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