Being Black Abroad

I know many of you are wondering why I haven't been blogging like I promised and I have an explanation. As many of you know, I've been traveling all over the world for the past few months. Since the end of June I have been to England twice, France, Monaco, and Spain. There are still a few more countries on the itinerary as I am studying abroad in Spain until the end of December. With all of this traveling, I have been trying to not only accomplish my personal goals but academic goals as well. Not only have my experiences  been life changing, but they have exceeded my expectations in more ways than one. Nevertheless, they have been incredibly time consuming. From cultural experiences, events, enjoying the luxuries of being legal, classes (of course), meeting new people, getting to know the cities that I'm in, and trying to keep my sanity with all of the new information I'm consumed with, blogging just wasn't the number one priority on my list. In truth, it crossed my mind a few times but not enough for me to slow down my life. When you're traveling on a once in a lifetime journey, you have to be cautious not to use all of the time that you could be using experiencing a whole new world trying to stay connected to YOUR world. Which is why I chose to take some time away from blogging. Now that I am in one place for a long period of time, I am ready to jump back into the swing of blogging and keeping the internet updated with my thoughts. Shall we?

One of the things that I wanted to discover while I was abroad is what does the area that I'm in think of black people (more specifically, African Americans). What is it like being black and abroad is a question that many have asked and few have answered and I have set out to answer it for you (and mostly myself). It has never been a secret that HBCU's invest in it's students' self awareness. We are taught truths about our country's background and we are taught to exceed preconceived notions of what those who look down upon us may think so naturally, I am curious to explore these ideas. I found out plenty of this very early on in my adventures abroad and they may be a bit more positive than expected. 

I have the "luxury" of living in the United States where people of all different ethnicities, races, and sizes are a regular occurrence. Of course you have places were being another race isn't always welcomed or can be the source of many personal problems, however, those places are becoming less and less prevalent. On a regular basis, I see people who've come to the US from all over the world to have a life that they feel is worth living. Seeing children of all races, ethnicities, and religions is common in the states. Here (Spain/France), when you are different you stand out like the scarlet letter. There's no hiding that you are not like everyone else. See, that's the thing about one raced societies, being different can be acceptable just not common. I get stared at a lot here in Europe. There aren't too many African Americans around or people with skin tones in the brown spectrum. You normally have color extremes, not too many in betweens. Most of the people of color who are here are African or Asian. I don't seperate myself from the Africans as far as being black, however, I've noticed that Europeans and even the Africans themselves, see us differently. Even someone from Brazil or Mexico would stand out because spaniards are European and the majority are Caucasian. Just to clarify, all of this race talk isn't to say that race is an issue, simply a difference. 

As Americans we tend to discuss race like it is a terrible thing to notice. I am quite proud of the color of my skin and the way I look. I wouldn't change who I am for the world but I am obvious BLACK! Europeans, from what I've experienced, don't look at race the same way as we do, however. The stares I get from people are not stares of disgust but of curiosity. I am simply different. People are often shocked that I can speak Spanish or that I understand it well. I've had many people insist on speaking English to me on numerous occasions. And not to mention, the gypsies have tried to catch me slipping but nevertheless, issues of race aren't conceptualized the same way they are in the states. Because of our WONDERFUL American history, race is often looked at as a bad thing or a hierarchy. For my European friends, I know it's a hard and silly thing to try and understand but it's truly not worth the explication. Simply put, the American society has made relations and stereotypes with race because of the issues of the past. As Americans we haven't completely let that go yet so I understand how it can be hard to understand what I'm saying. All in all, I've learned that the color of my skin has not determined what people think of me while I am here, aside from obvious assumptions - that I'm Afro-Americana.

It's funny how it took me coming to Europe to find out how beautiful I really am - inside AND out. I've come to realize that you are who you are for a reason and even if you don't know what that reason is, you should do whatever it takes to find out. As a little girl I had to know what it was like to hate myself and who I was in order to experience the wonders of falling in love with myself! I wish I would have known a long time ago how wonderful I truly am. All of these recent self discoveries have nothing to do with the color of my skin. I believe that there are many people out there who have similar discovers about themselves regardless of the color of their race or where they are from! Truly, I think it is when we realize how different we are from everyone else that we discover who we really are because it is our differences that help define us. When society builds up these notions about a characteristic or trait that one may have we are blinded by what society wants us to believe as opposed to our own perception of what we can accept. 

So, what have I discovered about being black abroad? Well, it is exactly the same as being black at home or anywhere else in the world. Your skin, your past, your heritage, and who you are will never leave you. But how you perceive yourself when you are in these places is what will make you understand yourself better and it is what will enlighten you to show more appreciation and love for who you are! Know thyself and no one will ever be able to dictate who you should be, but YOU!