I've had a life of privilege. I never realized it until I started living and travelling in developing countries. Compared to my friends, my life as a child had seemed deprived. My brother and I never had snacks to bring to school; we never went on family vacations; we only went out to eat for birthdays; and when I was six, my dad couldn't afford to buy me the Christmas present I longed for: a fluffy white walking robot dog with a leash attached to a remote control. I was bitterly disappointed when I opened my Christmas present to find something else that was so insignificant in my eyes that I have forgotten what it was now.
I began to realize how privileged I was when I started working at an international school in China. Knowing no social boundaries, I became friends with my hairdresser. We had gone out for dinner one night, and as we were walking on the streets to take a bus, I wanted to use the washroom. Now I must confess, since I was a kid, I have had a fear of public bathrooms. I remember trying to avoid using the relatively clean--now in retrospect--washroom in my elementary school because I thought it was "smelly." So in China, what my expat friends and I often do is to bluff our way into a fancy hotel and borrow their restrooms. Even though I can speak Mandarin, I would always emphasize my Canadian identity as I waltzed into 5-star hotels and asked where the WC (they call restrooms water closets in China) was. My friend told me later that this incident had highlighted the social gap between us. As a local, in best-case scenarios, he'd be shooed out of the hotel. And I could enjoy my status as a foreigner.
I recently travelled to Darjeeling, the queen of hill stations. I was able to book 3AC tickets for my 34h train trip to north India. Let me explain--3AC means you're in an AC compartment with 3-tier bunk beds. The cheapest tickets are general compartments where people have to stand (or if there's enough space, they sit on the ground) and the most expensive ones are 1AC. On the way back, however, I was only able to obtain sleeper tickets. They're also 3-tiered, minus the AC. I went from 20C in the mountains to 38C on a hot, stuffy, smelly train.
Even though I've travelled extensively in underdeveloped rural areas in India and China, I still haven't completely conquered my fear of dirty toilets. So I usually try to drink as little water as possible and hold until I can't wait any longer to use the washroom. When I was walking toward the washroom at the end of the compartment, I suddenly had a brainwave--maybe I could use the toilets on the side of the adjourning 3AC compartment! They might be cleaned more frequently. I discovered they weren't. But I also discovered that the door sealing off the AC compartment was ajar and there was cool air leaking out! Blissfully, I stood at the entrance enjoying the cooler temperature. But then I looked furtively around me. Would I be reprimanded for standing there where I didn't belong? But I didn't move. The AC was too wonderful. Every now and then, however, I glanced around to ensure no one was coming to tell me to scat.
I peered into the AC compartment and thought about how the people were just going about their activities in the train not fully realizing the luxury they were enjoying. I was that person 10 days ago. I contemplated walking in boldly, smiling at a random young man and asking if I could sit down (3 people sit on a cushioned bed/seat). I know I could probably get away with that as a young foreign girl. But I was scared of getting in trouble, of being recognized as someone who didn't belong.
How many people in this world are on the outside looking in? How many are treated as the scum of the earth for trying to enjoy a privilege that others may feel they don't deserve? How many are treated without dignity and insulted just because they are the powerless ones?
I began to realize how privileged I was when I started working at an international school in China. Knowing no social boundaries, I became friends with my hairdresser. We had gone out for dinner one night, and as we were walking on the streets to take a bus, I wanted to use the washroom. Now I must confess, since I was a kid, I have had a fear of public bathrooms. I remember trying to avoid using the relatively clean--now in retrospect--washroom in my elementary school because I thought it was "smelly." So in China, what my expat friends and I often do is to bluff our way into a fancy hotel and borrow their restrooms. Even though I can speak Mandarin, I would always emphasize my Canadian identity as I waltzed into 5-star hotels and asked where the WC (they call restrooms water closets in China) was. My friend told me later that this incident had highlighted the social gap between us. As a local, in best-case scenarios, he'd be shooed out of the hotel. And I could enjoy my status as a foreigner.
I recently travelled to Darjeeling, the queen of hill stations. I was able to book 3AC tickets for my 34h train trip to north India. Let me explain--3AC means you're in an AC compartment with 3-tier bunk beds. The cheapest tickets are general compartments where people have to stand (or if there's enough space, they sit on the ground) and the most expensive ones are 1AC. On the way back, however, I was only able to obtain sleeper tickets. They're also 3-tiered, minus the AC. I went from 20C in the mountains to 38C on a hot, stuffy, smelly train.
Even though I've travelled extensively in underdeveloped rural areas in India and China, I still haven't completely conquered my fear of dirty toilets. So I usually try to drink as little water as possible and hold until I can't wait any longer to use the washroom. When I was walking toward the washroom at the end of the compartment, I suddenly had a brainwave--maybe I could use the toilets on the side of the adjourning 3AC compartment! They might be cleaned more frequently. I discovered they weren't. But I also discovered that the door sealing off the AC compartment was ajar and there was cool air leaking out! Blissfully, I stood at the entrance enjoying the cooler temperature. But then I looked furtively around me. Would I be reprimanded for standing there where I didn't belong? But I didn't move. The AC was too wonderful. Every now and then, however, I glanced around to ensure no one was coming to tell me to scat.
I peered into the AC compartment and thought about how the people were just going about their activities in the train not fully realizing the luxury they were enjoying. I was that person 10 days ago. I contemplated walking in boldly, smiling at a random young man and asking if I could sit down (3 people sit on a cushioned bed/seat). I know I could probably get away with that as a young foreign girl. But I was scared of getting in trouble, of being recognized as someone who didn't belong.
How many people in this world are on the outside looking in? How many are treated as the scum of the earth for trying to enjoy a privilege that others may feel they don't deserve? How many are treated without dignity and insulted just because they are the powerless ones?
