The Small World of Expatriates

Here’s a sample of a conversation I had with a guy called Phil yesterday, at a colleague’s party:

Phil: “It’s so weird. Every expat seems to know each other here in Shanghai.”

Me: “I know! I used to be jealous of how tight-knit immigrant communities were in Montreal. Italians or Chinese, for instance… They all seem to know each other.”

Phil: “Erm. Wait a minute. You’re from Montreal?”

Me: “Yeah! You too?”

Phil: “Yeah!”

Me: “Coudonc, t’es-tu francophone?!”

Phil: “Ben oui!”

So I got out my business card, and handed it to him, one Quebecois to another.

Phil: “Wow. Your last name is Roy?!”

Me: “Yeah… Oh. You too?”

Phil: “Yeah!”

Me: “Is your name…”

Phil: “My name is Philippe Roy.”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how I met a Quebecois in Shanghai who has the exact same name as my brother.

About Daniel Roy

Daniel is a writer, backpack foodie, slow traveler, and endurance runner. He is the author of the upcoming book, "The Way of Slow Travel: A Hands-On Guide to the Best Travel of Your Life."

One comment

  1. Ah ben coudonc!!

    Here I am looking to see if I can find my blog in the goolge blog search… and what I find is you blogging about me!!

    Had to stop by and say: “hehe… ca va?!”

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