While eating sandwiches at a round table in the back corner of a crowded food court Hiromi asks Sarah:
I like Canada very much but England is a wonderful country with a long history, don’t you think? Could you tell me why you prefer Canadian work places and life in general?
Hiromi fears she is offending Sarah with this personal question but Sarah shows no signs of displeasure and replies:
Canada is known for its multiculturalism. Though, London, England also has many different races they have no policies to welcome and promote multiculturalism like Canada does. Furthermore, England still has a class system and it’s not a country where non-white races can start from nothing and succeed.
Hiromi remembers what she learned in high school: “In countries other than England, classes are primarily devided by income group. In England, people are divided by every aspect of life…”
Sarah continues:
You remember the subway bombing in London, don’t you? Everybody thought that was an act of foreign terrorists, but the actual perpetrators were all Muslims who were born in England. I could never forgive their act, but their despair in my own, white-dominant country lead them to that crime. Canada has racism, too, but Canada and England have different constitutions.
What Sarah says about England is beyond Hiromi’s imagination. While Hiromi looks at Sarah speechlessy, Sarah’s comments shock her further.
Japan also has a long history and the citizens have huge national pride, like in England. Aren’t foreigners also subjected to prejudice in Japan?
Hiromi starts feeling her head spinning. Now that she thinks of it Japan does have the same problem. Not only foreigners are subjected to prejudice, there is also descrimination among Japanese-natives.
Hiromi left Japan to soul-search. Sarah came to Canada with much clearer objectives. Sarah calls Canada a good country and here she is; Hiromi, too, has found herself here.
The internship opportunity begins to seem even more attractive to Hiromi.
She thinks “I’ll transform myself using this opportunity!”
Feeling uplifted, Hiromi feels the urge to speak to sombody in her own language. She calls Shinji..
(To be continued)