Realizing my narrow world- now

[shootingstar]

Over the years, I've considered myself in who I know well as long time friends and what I've learned from people I've met, worked with often and changes in my own family, as more ethnically diverse and open:

*several interracial marriages within my immediate family
* speak (badly) a 2nd language/mother tongue (Chinese)
*know intimately what it feels like to be non-English speaking immigrant and struggles, since I didn't learn English until kindergarten. Even though I was born in and have lived in Canada all my life
*have travelled in North America and Europe
*was involved as a volunteer for several yrs. prior to cycling, for a national organization representing Chinese-Canadians --on race relations, immigration matters. Our group did a lot of coalition building with the black community and other Asian groups in Metro Toronto
*worked with gay Asians on the board over 30 years ago...when their voice began to come out more openly within the community and beyond. (This was a bigger deal than it is now.)


Then I met a visiting Japanese national a few days ago. She lives in Japan. I realized:
*I've never had known others of Asian descent really well. My closest, long-standing non-white friends are of Chinese descent. They are 2nd or 3rd generation. Then rest of friends are Caucasian. I have had pleasant, superficial acquaintances from jobs who are originally from Philippines, Vietnam.
*I define myself as Asian-Canadian half of the time...when really it doesn't do justice how different each Asian country/their people/histories are. But for a lot of people : we "look" the same.
*No I've never had close friends who were/are black, South Asian nor aboriginal (Canada also calls native Americans, "First Nations people", which in my opinion is best term).
*No, none of my friends at this time are Muslim, Jewish, Sikh

*Of course, I've never been to Asia. It's not the end of world if I don't go because ...I was born in Canada. It's not going to be a big hole in my identity/life since I was raised in a completely different culture/society.

So my world view is a lot more narrow than I thought. Yet, I consider myself liberal, etc. How wrong can I be. Yet, the reality is that I choose friends when the opportunity /time /place exists.