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Strangers in the night...
Oct. 31st, 2005 11:10 pmTonight I took the Sky train home, and as per usual, I was reading during my commute. Sometimes I sit and look out the window, but generally I read on the way home. While I walking back to my place up a fairly well lit street, a guy who was behind me asked if I would stop so he could ask me something. "This is going to sound weird," he said. "Really weird." He was about my age with glasses and curly hair. He sort of motioned for me to step off the main sidewalk closer to a building, but because it was dark, I didn't.
"I noticed you reading on the train and I was wondering if there's some sort of group or something that I could join where people talk about books."
He explained that he had just moved here a couple of months ago, he hadn't met a lot of people who liked reading and writing. He was about my age, and I noticed that he was wearing a shirt with a red lotus on it, and did have a bit of an accent that I couldn't place, so his story was probably true. However, I was alone, on a dark street with a stranger, so I told him very politely that there were good book clubs at the library and on Main Street and went on my way.
Safety is super important to me, and I wonder if he realized that it's probably not the best idea to approach a woman by herself out on the street in the dark, as any woman is going to be more intimidated and have her guard up. It's impossible not to be cautious, and any woman who is self aware knows this. Every woman I know has been afraid at some point. I wonder if men ever think about these types of things.
***
Along the same lines, I recently withdrew from my dance class. It's partly because I missed a lot of classes due to my illness, and also because Thursday nights seem to be a very bad night for me. I can take drop-ins at a different location in East Van on Wednesday nights. I have to admit that I also withdrew because I don't feel safe walking around Yaletown late at night. Many people may think this is weird, but I feel much more comfortable in East Van. I don't know Yaletown, and it's very easy for me to get disoriented. I have gotten lost twice on the way to my class. However, it's also the feeling of the highrises and the SUVs going by that make me nervous. In Yaletown, there are few people out walking around, while in my East Van neighbourhood, there are always people out on the street. I've also seen some pretty incredible things in East Van. I've seen people jump to action when someone has fainted on the street (possibly from an overdose), and I have a sense of community here. I guess this must seem odd to some people, but East Van feels safer to me.
"I noticed you reading on the train and I was wondering if there's some sort of group or something that I could join where people talk about books."
He explained that he had just moved here a couple of months ago, he hadn't met a lot of people who liked reading and writing. He was about my age, and I noticed that he was wearing a shirt with a red lotus on it, and did have a bit of an accent that I couldn't place, so his story was probably true. However, I was alone, on a dark street with a stranger, so I told him very politely that there were good book clubs at the library and on Main Street and went on my way.
Safety is super important to me, and I wonder if he realized that it's probably not the best idea to approach a woman by herself out on the street in the dark, as any woman is going to be more intimidated and have her guard up. It's impossible not to be cautious, and any woman who is self aware knows this. Every woman I know has been afraid at some point. I wonder if men ever think about these types of things.
***
Along the same lines, I recently withdrew from my dance class. It's partly because I missed a lot of classes due to my illness, and also because Thursday nights seem to be a very bad night for me. I can take drop-ins at a different location in East Van on Wednesday nights. I have to admit that I also withdrew because I don't feel safe walking around Yaletown late at night. Many people may think this is weird, but I feel much more comfortable in East Van. I don't know Yaletown, and it's very easy for me to get disoriented. I have gotten lost twice on the way to my class. However, it's also the feeling of the highrises and the SUVs going by that make me nervous. In Yaletown, there are few people out walking around, while in my East Van neighbourhood, there are always people out on the street. I've also seen some pretty incredible things in East Van. I've seen people jump to action when someone has fainted on the street (possibly from an overdose), and I have a sense of community here. I guess this must seem odd to some people, but East Van feels safer to me.
