Sorry, my email never allows me to reply to you and I don't see an email address anywhere so I'll just use your comment box:
Now that my final is done, I'm responding to some commenters. No, I didn't find your comment pedantic, so you know. And I guess part of me hasn't mentioned how I've felt for so long because I was afraid I'd sound racist or that my commenters would get a bit nasty towards Middle Eastern cultures (which some of them came borderline to doing), but that day I just felt so upset. Sometimes I feel so out of place here in so many ways that I just don't want to face the day. I would never say it that way to Hans of course, but it's true. And if things I say sometimes make you defensive, I'm sorry for that. I hope that the fact that I moved here, am trying very hard to learn the language and plan on making a life here for a while are things that indicate to my Belgian readers how much I do like this country, despite some of the differences that I may mention in my blog. Also, we live in Bruugse Port in Gent...it's a rundown area full of immigrants. That has a lot to do, unfortunately with how I tend to view the whole country, only because that is the part I'm familiar with. Every time we go to Oostende or Lokeren or the town with Historia Mundi, I mention to Hans how I always forget what the majority of Belgium is really like, and the thing is, I LIKE the majority of Belgium very much. It reminds me of where I grew up and I find it much more enjoyable than the busy, littered area where we live. I hope it doesn't seem like I was angry at the man in my class due to race. I was angry that he decided to basically force me to listen to him insult my country by giving the sort of presentation he gave. If he has the opinions about Americans, he is more than welcome to them. But he has no right to force me to listen to it via presentation.
But thank you for your insight and support. It means very much to me.
Comments
Now that my final is done, I'm responding to some commenters. No, I didn't find your comment pedantic, so you know. And I guess part of me hasn't mentioned how I've felt for so long because I was afraid I'd sound racist or that my commenters would get a bit nasty towards Middle Eastern cultures (which some of them came borderline to doing), but that day I just felt so upset. Sometimes I feel so out of place here in so many ways that I just don't want to face the day. I would never say it that way to Hans of course, but it's true.
And if things I say sometimes make you defensive, I'm sorry for that. I hope that the fact that I moved here, am trying very hard to learn the language and plan on making a life here for a while are things that indicate to my Belgian readers how much I do like this country, despite some of the differences that I may mention in my blog. Also, we live in Bruugse Port in Gent...it's a rundown area full of immigrants. That has a lot to do, unfortunately with how I tend to view the whole country, only because that is the part I'm familiar with. Every time we go to Oostende or Lokeren or the town with Historia Mundi, I mention to Hans how I always forget what the majority of Belgium is really like, and the thing is, I LIKE the majority of Belgium very much. It reminds me of where I grew up and I find it much more enjoyable than the busy, littered area where we live.
I hope it doesn't seem like I was angry at the man in my class due to race.
I was angry that he decided to basically force me to listen to him insult my country by giving the sort of presentation he gave. If he has the opinions about Americans, he is more than welcome to them. But he has no right to force me to listen to it via presentation.
But thank you for your insight and support. It means very much to me.