Open your mind

I was commuting home from Sydney University one afternoon and having stepped off the train, I was greeted by glorious sunshine. On the walk home I was minding my own business as a lanky Anglo-Saxon teenage boy caught up to me, greeting me in the local vernacular: "how are you doin', mate?" Briefly surprised - I hadn't noticed him behind me - I smiled and replied "not too bad man, how 'bout you?" Five years after this little meeting, I still recall his next nine words: "Wow - I didn't know your kind could speak English!" This  guy - I kid you not - was absolutely stunned. So too was I, as you would expect. After convincing him that "my kind" could in fact have some command of the English language I mentioned something about never judging a book by its cover, to which he nodded and heartily agreed. Shortly thereafter, I took a left turn at an intersection as he continued along the road. We had parted ways but I could not for the life of me part with his comments, which reverberated in my head for quite some time. I have little doubt that he was a nice and friendly kid - but heck we're living in the twenty-first century in a first world country known for its cosmopolitan and multicultural vibes. Moreover, the suburb in which I lived was populated with thousands of Korean and Chinese immigrants. None of these, according to this kid, were capable of speaking English. My black hair, narrow brown eyes and darker complexion - characteristics of "my kind" - apparently did not allow me to communicate in the official language of my country. I guess it's fair to say that if you 'assume' things like that you really do make an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'.