#13: Standing Out

http://www.rpg.net/columns/g2h2/g2h213.phtml

Summary:

Being singled out as a foreigner in a foreign land.

Go to the column for more information.

[smascrns]

I live in a foreign land and have been to several other but I never was in a place without a passable history of outsiders' presence. In any case, living in a touristic place (Goa, India) has the irritant of being taken for a tourist all the time ("taxi, sir?"; "want to buy some t-shirts? good price!"). The most trying thing is the linguistic issue: Being in a place where you don't speak the local language and the locals don't speak your own and there is no other common one.

[Saz]

I find the comment about being in the Middle-East and waving a canadian flag increadibly ignorant and stupid, and makes me seriosuly think you made that part up. Outside of Iraq, there is really no place where a foreigner would be singled out for anything. Places like the UAE, and Dubai are among the most ethnic in the world, and see international tourists all the time who are not afraid to tell the truth about who they are, and are not picked on or 'singled out' at all.

Funnily enough, its in the United States that some people feel the need to hide their nationality; for instance Arabs hardly have many rights and can be picked up and locked away for no provication. Also, the average redneck bloke on the street can basically say anything he wants to such a person (insert racist remark)and easily get away with it. Honestly, one would think its the Arabs who came into the states guns blazing, raped the land and stole their resources.

[Luger]

Well, I find that even in Europe, an American gets singled out in ways a Canadian would not (being the American in the scenario, which in my case was rural Italy). Mind you, it was not dangerous, and I did not even feel uncomfortable, but oh, there is a difference and people will on occasion let you know it. (actually, since I'm asian, it may help that American is not the first guess until I open my mouth.)