What i find interesting is that it feels like it's people from around Europe connecting like never before - not only governments.

Still waiting for the first pan-european digital ngo's, startups, etc. though.

Here is the effects of diversity to you, or to me, by this incident that happened to me yesterday.

I came to the Netherlands in 1975. Therefore understand the cultures and diversities then and now. At least I think I do. I am also a globe-trotter in the physical sense the past 30 years. Lived and worked in many parts of the world. I am also globe-trottering in the online space.

But yesterday at the local market in Zoetermeer confirmed more and more my thoughts about diversities. Perhaps it is less so in Enschede as compare to Zoetermeer since Zoetermeer is less thatn 20 km from the Hague, a city that is so diversed that half of the time you would hear strange language that Dutch spoken on the strees.

Yesterday afternoon. Saturday and market day. After I parked my car I realized that all the coins in my purse would not buy me a ticket from the machine. I had lots of 5 cent coins but not 10,20,50 as required. No problem. I would just see if someone would be kind to exchange the 5 cents to 10,or 20. Not that easy. Here is another picture of me. I am a Chinese looking woman, with grey-haired and not dressed to kill. As I approached a lady of my age group and asked if she has some money to 'exchange/wissel'. Without even stopping she told me NO. She would like to have some money too! I was quite buffled with the answers. Then I met the next woman, this time she is older than me I am sure. And the same situation. Without stopping to ask what my question was she told me she cannot help me!

From the answers of these two ladies, I THINK they thought that I am a begger!! Eventhought I was not dressed to kill, I was decently dressed!

Within 30 years, people have changed in the Netherlands, especially in bigger cities. People are so indaunted by problems brought by immigrations. Especially illegal immigrations. They no longer want to know. I sensed the great change and I am sadden by the change. One point in time, I would be helped without a doubt by the generous and friendly Dutch. But yesterday ????

The reason why I illustrate with this incident is first of all it happened to me in the physical world. Where people of any level of knowledge, educations and what have you live side-by-side. In the online world, I tend to see it as an 'unreal' world. The cyberworld is not real because it is generally (I use the world generally to save myself from having to argue my case) stuff with people who are well educated, have money, have ICT skills, or least have the money and time and knowledge to blog for example, their world is also selective where pockets of 'interests' draw the line of whoses blog you would want to read and discuss such as what I am doing now ... That world is so disassociated with the rest of the world, sometime I just want to shout and say ... hey guys, while you are talking about Blogtalks, Blogwalks, OpenSpace, KM, KS, PKM ... please take a moment to think of the many of us do not live in your world ....

I am writing this comments in a flash. There are perhaps many rooms that need more thoughts. BUT since I have become one of the online persons, and then live in another 'real' world where I am struggling to survive, I am in reality looking at both worlds ...

Cindy