On Saturday, 17 May 2014 In Toronto I Was Reminded That All Social Interactions Must Be Viewed Through the Cultural Perspective of All Participants – To Be Properly Understood.

I only had a short wait for the streetcar.  From my perspective you have to go out into the street.  I saw a man with a dog on a lease (not a service dog).  My thought was this clearly was not a service dog, so the man must be crossing the street.  I jumped in front of him (as the streetcars don’t in my opinion wait very long – in most cases) and boarded.

I quickly grabbed a seat in the back and to my surprise the man got on the streetcar with his dog.

I was confused.

The dog was clearly not one of service.

And then I was embarrassed as I had jumped the queue.

So after a wee bit the man and his service dog stood to exit by the back door.

I ran to catch up with him, and I apologised.

I explained that I was from Chicago and in Chicago the only dogs (one a lease) allowed on public transportation are service dogs.  I said, “I and so embarrassed.”

He said with a smile, “Oh people jump in front of me all the time. I thought you were doing what many people do.”

I said, “So you thought I was rude?”

He said, “Yes I did.  I wasn’t terribly put out, as I said it happens quite often.”

We talked and smiled about our mutual misperceptions.

We both realised we had viewed this very mundane of social interactions through the prism of our respective cultural perspectives. 

It was terribly interesting.

Then whilst walking down Church Street I saw the movement of information amongst some people who appeared to be homeless and riddled with substance abuse.  I watched as information on services in the city passed from one person to the other.

The moment of the data was seamless, swift, efficient and nurturing in an environment that was both bleak and desperate.

Early that day I stood and talked at a library about the places frequented by the intelligentsia of Toronto.

I struggled as I sought the right verbiage and right tone and right person to ask.  I found her.

She asked me at one point, “Where are you from?”

How information moves.  How people communicate.

I was so very pleased to be at mosque on Friday, (16^th May 2014), and then I was very pleased again to be at the celebration of my mosque later that evening.

And I have to say I equally enjoyed the numerous conversations and observations I had in Toronto on my own Saturday, 17^th May 2014.

There is beauty in understanding the movement of human interactions.

 

-Debra V. Wilson