“What city are you from?”
“What city are you from?” It’s one of the first few questions someone asks to break the ice but it’s one of the most complex. If you’ve moved many times over the course of your life, which city do you pick? Do you answer the question differently depending on where you’re being asked the question?
Last week’s class taught me that the simple question “what city are you from?” can elicit different responses from the same person. For example, when someone within Ontario (and maybe even Canada) asks me what city I’m from, I tend to say that I’m from Scarborough. But when I’m out travelling outside of Canada, I tend to say that I’m from Toronto.
I had a chance to reflect on this after last week’s class and I came to the conclusion that where I’m being asked the question has an effect on the way I answer the question. For example, Toronto is more well-known from an international perspective compared to Scarborough. Although I feel more of a cultural connection to Scarborough, and Toronto and Scarborough are not the same in my eyes, I tend to answer the question differently depending on where I am when the question is posed. This is despite the fact that Scarborough is a neighborhood within the City of Toronto — at least it is according to Statistics Canada census tracts.
Last week’s class taught me that just like there are multiple definitions for the word “city,” the way you answer the question “what city are you from?” depends on a variety of contextual factors. For me, it depends on where I am when the question is asked.
