Minorities Abroad

[One Step Ahead]

I wanted to start a thread too, darn it.  That said, here is a place where we can all discuss interesting travel experiences, specifically what it is like as a minority to then go abroad where you become the spokesperson for America.

[Bacchante]

Intersting thread!  I actually have alot of int'l experience due to my love of travel and foreign languages. 

I spent the Summer of 2002 studying Mandarin in Taipei, Taiwan.  I rented a room from a middle-aged Taiwanese woman that loved to practice speaking English with me.  She told me that all she knew of Americans she gleaned from TV...therefore to her American = white (not me), blonde haired (me), blue eyes (me).  But when I tried to tell her that I was black, I swear she thought I was pulling her leg.  To this day, I'm certain she didn't believe me.  I didn't take offense because I realize that her ignorance resulted from a lack of exposure.

I'm not surprised that people have such a homogeneous view of Americans given that w/b/b is an ideal that is heavily promoted in the media.  Also, it reflects the general lack of knowledge that people tend to have about things outside of their own realm of experience. 

[HBCU.EDU]

Intersting thread!  I actually have alot of int'l experience due to my love of travel and foreign languages. 

I spent the Summer of 2002 studying Mandarin in Taipei, Taiwan.  I rented a room from a middle-aged Taiwanese woman that loved to practice speaking English with me.  She told me that all she knew of Americans she gleaned from TV...therefore to her American = white (not me), blonde haired (me), blue eyes (me).  But when I tried to tell her that I was black, I swear she thought I was pulling her leg.  To this day, I'm certain she didn't believe me.  I didn't take offense because I realize that her ignorance resulted from a lack of exposure.

I'm not surprised that people have such a homogeneous view of Americans given that w/b/b is an ideal that is heavily promoted in the media.  Also, it reflects the general lack of knowledge that people tend to have about things outside of their own realm of experience. 

Interesting. Welcome to BLSD BACCHANTE.

[Omegaman]

E, did you start this just so we can talk to each other?  That's SWeet! 

Here's a travel story y'all might like:
http://scpeaches.blogspot.com/2005/02/brussels-good-bad-theinteresting.html

Funny, the 2 times Ive caught the train from amsterdam to paris ive always fallen asleep through belgium, i promise myself i'll stay awake the next tim. But my favorite in europeis paris, because they seem to be more resistant to the americanization of europe unlike london where you might as well stay in the US and go to NYC

[One Step Ahead]

well Paris just got Starbucks last year--can you believe it?  and as for white chicks it probably was only playing in a couple theatres just like with You Got Served, the teases.  Americanization is definitely there, but I do think Paris is less America oriented that London, some of that is language but a good part of it is just a declining nation refusing to believe they are not a superpower .  Oh Paris, je t'aime.

[onlychild]

I'm currently in Beijing.  Most Chinese think I'm from Africa until I tell them otherwise.  I've had one or two argue with me that there are no Black people in America, but those are the obviously uneducated ones.

[Ladyday]

I'm currently in Beijing.  Most Chinese think I'm from Africa until I tell them otherwise.  I've had one or two argue with me that there are no Black people in America, but those are the obviously uneducated ones.

  no black people in America?

How are u liking Beijing otherwise?

[onlychild]

Beijing is fun...a lot of history and culture, but is also increasingly cosmopolitan.  I wonder what the air is doing to my health though.  Below is a picture that I took on a early Sunday afternoon of my room window.  It's not always like this, but it is a lot of the time.  Ah well, it's the environmental cost of development: http://img201.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img201&image=dscf0660medium4rk.jpg   

[Bacchante]

I'm currently in Beijing.  Most Chinese think I'm from Africa until I tell them otherwise.  I've had one or two argue with me that there are no Black people in America, but those are the obviously uneducated ones.

LOL!  I'm not surprised.  After Taipei, I spent time in Xian and Beijing and I did not see one other person of color the entire time.

As a side note, I must say that I was pretty floored to see a Popeye's Fried Chicken shop in Beijing.  I've only seen Popeye's in urban areas, and I wouldn't have imagined it to be an international franchise.

[One Step Ahead]

I'm currently in Beijing.  Most Chinese think I'm from Africa until I tell them otherwise.  I've had one or two argue with me that there are no Black people in America, but those are the obviously uneducated ones.

LOL!  I'm not surprised.  After Taipei, I spent time in Xian and Beijing and I did not see one other person of color the entire time.

As a side note, I must say that I was pretty floored to see a Popeye's Fried Chicken shop in Beijing.  I've only seen Popeye's in urban areas, and I wouldn't have imagined it to be an international franchise.

A good friend of mine studied in Taipei and in fact just returned.  She was always telling me how they have a 711 on every corner, but they sell the craziest stuff