So I’m off to good ol’ USofA on Saturday. Whoop, whoop.<\/p>\n
Like any other foreign visitor to the US, I had to “register” my travel with ESTA by filling out an online form, stating who I am, passport number, where I’m staying, if I’m a terrorist, blah, blah. It takes 5 mins to complete and seems mostly useless. Ah yes, and you also have to pay $14 for the privilege. So, it’s just a tax after all.<\/p>\n
You’d be right in thinking that $14 is not a huge sum of money in the grand scheme of things, so, so what? It’s all in the message dude. And for me the message says:<\/p>\n
– America is penny pinching and mean<\/p>\n
– America is obsessed with money, mostly yours.<\/p>\n
– America doesn’t like foreigners<\/p>\n
That’s not good, is it.<\/p>\n
Of course these are all subconscious thoughts, embedded somewhere inside me – perhaps forever, waiting for their turn to have a say.<\/p>\n
So next time I think about taking a holiday in the US with my family, I might just forgo the glitz of Disney World and settle for the tranquil banana trees and volcanic beaches of Tenerife. Or when I think about expanding my growing (and sadly fictional) international business, I might just feel that Toronto is – on balance – a better slightly better choice.<\/p>\n