2021-13 || hate

There have been more reports of hate crimes recently, particularly towards Asians, and I never thought I'd experience it in my own neighborhood. My interactions with the neighbors, although limited in quantity, have always felt fairly warm and inviting, but maybe the issue is not with the neighbors. The other day, I was walking home from the park with my baby in the Ergobaby carrier, crossing the street and trying to mind my own business, when a white minivan with Washington license plates tried to pull over near us. 

Were we in his way? Maybe to him we were, because through his rolled down window, I could hear him exclaim, "F***ing Asians."   

I was too shocked to react, and mainly focused on avoiding his vehicle to take down the license plate. A short distance away, I could see that he was finally able to park his car and he was letting his small dog out, probably to walk in the park. 

I recounted this story to a few different friends, and only called this man a "dude", but immediately, my friends knew this "dude" was a Caucasian man, and appeared older. I know it's not right to racial profile, but this man appeared to fit the stereotype of grumpy old white dude perfectly. 

I don't really feel safe around that park anymore, which is unfair, especially as it's my neighborhood park and quite a few families with children visit on a regular basis. Trying not to let this taint my interactions with other neighbors...

Also trying to destress from mom life with some alone time and a baked good from Creme de la Crumb: 

The cafe is at the entrance of one of the office buildings, and I assume it would be packed if not for COVID19, because it is really the only location for coffee in the area, not counting McDonald's. 

The oatmeal cranberry chocolate cookie was crispy on the outside, and soft on the inside, just the perfect amount of chocolate chips in each bite. 

 

Matcha latte would be a pass for next time - too sweet, maybe because I asked for oat milk. 

But really, I was running an errand, and it wasn't intentional alone time. It took about 10 minutes to walk over to the Still Creek location from Costco, where my winter tires were being swapped with all season tires. What are the chances that my husband would be OK with me leaving him at Costco for an hour with the baby while I do this again? 

As I'm writing this, others are also describing similar anti-Asian experiences around Vancouver. Check out Steven Ngo's story, which has been picked up by NEWS1130.