I, too, am adverse to capitalism and colonialism. However, we chose to live in a place where schools taught -- until recently -- that no native people remain because the French destroyed them all (no, some escaped), and we are so impressed by the strength and intelligence of the democracy here that we're deliberately supporting government agencies that protect community resources. We're looking forward to being citizens.
Speaking of citizenship, I am a Greek citizen by descent (my grandfather was a Greek immigrant) but have been unable to find his birth certificate to prove and take advantage of it. His passport, marriage certificate, statements of intent, letters, autobiography... aren't enough. It's easier for me to become an Uruguayan citizen.
We came here with the understanding that people here don't judge. We discovered that it might be because they don't notice. We find it odd that we never see people acknowledge each other in passing. I suppose that judging is absent when you don't pay attention to another person. Even in the elevator of our apartment building, people rarely interact.
I can't yet explain why our doormen always greet us with great enthusiasm and a stream of well-wishing. I haven't noticed whether we initiated the habit when we arrived, or if they were trained to interact with everyone the same way.
Before we came here, we were very busy at home with work and then our hobbies. Sometimes, we didn't even go a mile away from home for over a month. Here, we're out and about almost every day, enthused about exploring this place, and enjoying feeling safe.
