zagan

I like Edmonton, and I like Canada, the people here are quite polite, and although many of them are quite full of gossip, they at least pretend to mind their own business. It is different from America in this way, Americans won't hide the fact that they think either less of you, or have judged you undesirable. In Edmonton, people will be as sweet as apple pie to you, and then once you have passed by, they will hurriedly whisper about this and that all in accordance to you. I have decided that Edmonton truly is a lily-white community. Although I find it quite charming and enjoy it here very much, it does make me long for the diversity of California.
I went to the west Edmonton mall yesterday, and found it full of single white mothers, old ladies, businessmen, and young couples with children. From what I have seen people tend to get married here, and breed at a younger age than what I find reasonable. Then again I have never been one whom is in search of getting hitched before my time, nor do I desire children, probably not ever. It seems that those in Edmonton are entirely devoted to becoming a family and spending their time with that family. That is SO completely different from everything I stand for.
However I shall continue my thoughts on California and diversity before I move onto my thoughts of family orientated Edmontonians. In Sacramento, on any day of the week, at any time during the day, one would find the mall just brimming with people. In the parking lots one would see the cute little Asians with their REALLY nice Cars. All supped up and revving the engines while techno music plays in the background. Inside the food court one would find the big Hispanic ladies with their kids, chattering a way in Spanish and munching on ethnic food while trying to keep an eye on their rowdy kids. In a corner off to the side somewhere would be the wandering eyes of the Gothic and Punk rocker kids, all sitting there and taking in the atmosphere. Some EMO kids would be wandering around and handing out flyers to whatever garage band would be playing at the boardwalk on the weekend. The teems of preppy girls and boys would be wandering the isles between The Tommy and Banana Republic Stores while talking overly loud and giggling at every stupid comment that was said. At the entrance to the store, decked up in primary colors and smoking on Black and milds would be the African Americans, talking animatedly about whatever party in the horizon for the weekend and inviting everybody they know to it. Sitting on the grass in front of the mall would be the hippies, instruments in hand and hiding their joint beneath shaded foliage as to not be caught. Then there is everybody else, just meandering their way through the mall and enjoying the sights of what goes on around them.
I have to say I really miss this kind of diversity, where everybody from every place, gets together and coexists quite peacefully, if only for a few hours, in the shopping mall. Here in Edmonton I know that the teems of people don't come until the weekend, so this weekday was probably a bad time to make the comparison, yet it was a time when I figured the locals would be around, so I wouldn't have to take in the equation of all the tourists. I have to say that for being the largest mall in North America, I found it quite lacking in the area of diversity. As stated before, almost all of the people who made up my mall companions were of the lily-white normal variety. I was really disappointed to note that it lacked so many of the things our tiny Sacramento malls had in Abundance. Here it seems that the whole of Edmonton is filled with young families, young parents, and a lot of white people. Although I know it has some diversity somewhere, I just wish that it had more.
It seems that here in Edmonton everybody strives to get married and have a family before the age of 25 (my cousins have done just that). To say the least, it kind of disgruntles me to see many people's concentration focused on just that. I really feel like the odd duck out, because this has never been my focus or intent. I do not strive for hot and heavy relationships; at least I do not look for them. If they happen thats great, but thats not the entire focus of my life. No, this is not just a Edmonton thing, many of the people I grew up with in American Suburbia have this focus as well. My mother's friends all brag about whom their kids are dating, and how successful they are with this and that. She herself spends a lot of time trying to get me to check out this guy and that guy and trying to pressure me into striking up conversations with young men in hopes of getting me taken out on a date. To put it quite bluntly this makes me a might bit sick.
I don't understand this drive to be successful and married at such a young age. I feel that one should let things happen naturally not pressure oneself so that they do happen. My goal in life is to get as much out of it as humanly possible, there are so many interesting things that exist in the world and so many places to go, that to me a family just binds one down. I guess I am unlike many people my age, I do not fear living my life out alone and unattached. I probably prefer this state of being, mostly because I know I can accomplish so much by myself. Although my darling mother, finds this most abhorrent and would love to see me dated and hitched as soon as possible. I have to admit I find her tactics and her thoughts on this subject a wee bit disgruntling.
If one were to ask me what are the most important things in my life, I would have to say adventure and knowledge. Truly I want to have fun, I want to see the world, and I want to learn as many things as I possibly can. Although I love my family and am very close to my mother, I do not wish to start my own, definitely not now and maybe not ever. It is hard to find those that share the same thoughts and Ideas about life as I do. Many people just aren't suited for the nomadic life, wishing instead for a safe location to put down roots and a legacy. So, I go about my life by myself, and it doesn't bother me in the least. I have decided that I am too much of a selfish person to ever have kids, although I like children, I would rather spend my life devoted to myself, and possibly one other person, but most likely no children. However, If I do ever wish for them, I would adopt, for I was adopted and think that there are already enough lives on this earth, so I do not wish to add to the over population problem.
I have to admit that I have a REALLY hard time relating to people in Edmonton. My experiences have caused me to see the world in a completely different way than the majority of the people I have run into. I have found that there truly is no one reality, just the reality in which one perceives. My reality is such that I have lost touch with the realities of others, often becoming quite dissatisfied with their presence, mostly because I find the things that they enjoy almost trivial. That probably sounds really almost snobbish, but I cannot force myself to sit and listen to gossip, movies, television, hopes of family and clothing. These are things in which I find quite shallow, and not to my conversational standards.
I guess that in comparison, it is like a college graduate trying to talk to somebody who hasn't graduated from high school. The existence of the two is so alarmingly different that their interests are not such that one another are able to relate to. Although I haven't graduated from college, I did start taking college courses when I was sixteen, and have had a lot of experience in both the working world and the real world. Many of the people my age here have extremely disappointed me. At times it seems as if I am trying to talk to high school student. It has gotten to the point where I have stopped going to the clubs around here, and have completely devoted most of my free time to reading and concentrating on my goals.
I know that this is not a Canadian thing, for many Canadians that I know are extremely inspirational and invigorating to talk to. Nor is this just an Alberta thing, for I have a friend in Calgary whom I enjoy writing to very much. I have decided that the best way for me to meet people whom are more in my perceived reality range is for me to go back to school. Something I want to do very much. I figure that the colleges here probably hold both the diversity and people that I desire.