The Jacaranda

I’ve only been in London 6 days, and already I’ve noticed SO much. One thing in particular has really struck me, and that’s the attitude towards people of color. Or maybe what I perceive to be the attitude towards people of color. It’s a hard feeling to describe, but sometimes (not all the time), in America it’s awkward and uncomfortable to be the only person of color in a room. I become hyper-aware of my own presence, because everyone else automatically is aware that I’m there. A subtle tension suddenly arises. People may look surprised, like what is person like you doing here? Or they may look annoyed, or worried, but mostly you can just feel because of how they react to you, that you’re different. But so far, in London I haven’t felt that way. I haven’t gone anywhere and felt automatically uncomfortable, even though I’m in a really nice part of town. I’ve felt like in many cases, the Londoners have been more comfortable talking to me than some of the Americans in my program. I’ve only been here six days and haven’t seen nearly enough of the city to have a proper perspective, but I think it’s interesting what I’ve experienced so far. I wonder if any of the people of color in the program feel the same way? I’m excited to learn more about race in this country!