tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18630368.post6334088256304402865..comments2023-10-03T13:48:06.836-02:00Comments on KNOWLES EDDY KNOWLES: the nurturing, comfortable, safe, infinitely promising Holding Environmentknowles eddy knowleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03363435518531856079noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18630368.post-50942439911472307852011-06-08T14:31:52.610-02:002011-06-08T14:31:52.610-02:00A dozen or so Indonesian tourists a year have to b...A dozen or so Indonesian tourists a year have to be repatriated from the Canadian capital, after falling prey to what's become known as "Toronto Syndrome".<br /><br />That is what some polite Indonesian tourists suffer when they discover that Torontonians can be rude or the city does not meet their expectations.<br /><br />The experience can apparently be too stressful for some and they suffer a psychiatric breakdown.<br /><br />Around a million Indonesians travel to Canada every year.<br /><br />Many of the visitors come with a deeply romantic vision of Toronto - the dirty streets, as seen in the film Resident Evil, the beauty of Canadian women or the high culture and art at the AGO.<br /><br />The reality can come as a shock.<br /><br />An encounter with a rude taxi driver, or a Torontonian waiter who shouts at customers who cannot speak fluent English, might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures.<br /><br />But for the Indonesian - used to a more polite and helpful society in which voices are rarely raised in anger - the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare can simply be too much.<br /><br />This year alone, the Indonesian embassy in Toronto has had to repatriate four people with a doctor or nurse on board the plane to help them get over the shock.<br /><br />They were suffering from "Toronto Syndrome".<br /><br />It was a Indonesian psychiatrist working in Canada, Professor Siti Fadillah Supari, who first identified the syndrome some 20 years ago.<br /><br />On average, up to 12 Indonesian tourists a year fall victim to it, mainly women in their 30s with high expectations of what may be their first trip abroad.<br /><br />The Indonesian embassy has a 24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock, and can help find hospital treatment for anyone in need.<br /><br />However, the only permanent cure is to go back to Indonesia - never to return to Toronto.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com