sSo you know what's cool about traveling? When you travel to another part of the world, you can be whoever you want. You can change your name, your hair, your clothes, the language you speak, your personality, whatever you want. But, what's weird is that there are some changes made that you have no control over. For instance, the color of my skin has changed, my body has changed, even the smell of my sweat has changed.
My perception and certain behaviors have changed as well. I used to be uncomfortable having people serve me food, set the table for me, draw my water, give up their seat for me, etc. But, now I find it strange when that's not done. Also, strangely, I'm more aware of the fact that I'm a woman here. Because I'm a woman, I have to dress a certain way, some men won't shake hands with me and I'm constantly being claimed as someone's wife. Even at certain restaurants, I find myself having to wait at least 10 minutes to be served, because I'm a woman. And secondly, it is made clear to me everyday, by Malians, that I am not African and most times, I'm not even Black. My own family still calls me a Tubab, but I ask myself "Do I really want to be treated as one of them?" I also wonder, "I came here to grow from this experience, but could I also be losing a part of myself as well?"
This is a great post! In my travels to W. Africa, I have also experienced some of the same things, and dealt with the same thought processes. On the one hand, you want to be accepted, but on the another, American/toubab privilege is tough to give up, because all humans want power/advantage!
ReplyDeleteI'd be interested in hearing more about your experiences at the restaurants, though... why is it, in your experience, that you have to wait to be served because you're a woman?