After some discussion with my friends, it occurred to me it’s tough to be a Canadian in an American institution. With a lack of affection, “excuse me”s and just a general feeling of what kind of nation we live in, I stand out like a sore thumb with my “eh”s and other stereotypical Canadian phrases. People – and by people, I mean Americans – really enjoy making not-so-original jokes while thinking they are the funniest people on earth. Although it could be true that they are the next great comedians to hit the stage and sell thousands of albums of their great work, for now, they are just jackasses with proof.

It seems funny to me that people in I.V. are so scared of what’s different. Being a frequent visitor of Freebirds – for the love of their amazing Coke bottled in Mexico – I couldn’t help but eavesdrop on a particular douche bag’s conversation about how a guy was grinding up against him and how he was close to punching him out. While I am well aware there are people who may not agree with others’ sexual orientations, it does not give them the right to lash out and continue complaining about it in the line at Freebirds, making a line that is supposed to be for delicious Mexican food a line of hate and high tensions.

Oftentimes, when I meet new people, they think I am, in fact, queer. It could be that I am very friendly to both sexes, and when I go to a party, I am not there to achieve what many guys fail to do and pick up girls. I am there to enjoy myself, have a good time and meet new people – what I thought a social gathering was all about. It occurred to me that my idea of a good time does not involve getting wasted until I can’t remember what I did or said the night before but rather having drinks with friends while listening to music. My brother was down from Canada for the holidays and visited some of his friends from high school. After he went out with them, he told me it was strange because instead of just having a beer, they needed to play a drinking game.

Another problem with being Canadian is I have been exposed to better beer and for a longer period of time. The legal drinking age is 19 in most provinces and 18 in others – and in Quebec, 18 is just a suggestion. I am not talking about the expensive beer one finds once in a while, because even the cheap beer is better. Natural Ice and Keystone may be cheap, but it is not sufficient. It tastes like good beer someone drank and then urinated straight into that can you are now pouring into your beer pong cup, kings cup, flip cup or whatever other cup game you choose to play. I understand buying expensive – or at least better – beer for people makes no sense to some, but a better beer will likely make people happier because it does not feel as if they are drinking urine.

People’s customs and way of living are different, but it is not always true that different is better. It seems to me in Canada it is okay to be different. It is okay to have a drink without a game involved. And it is okay to go somewhere to meet people, socialize and have fun. This could be the reason for all my troubles here in I.V. and because people perceive me as being of a homosexual nature.