We just got back from a beautiful vacation in New Zealand with my sister and brother-in-law, thanks to some amazing planning by my brother-in-law. As I think back over my experience, apart from the gorgeous scenery that seems to paint the land of the Maoris, a recurring theme strikes me -- how friendly my husband is as a traveller.
For someone who's probably the least travelled of my family, my husband has a very open demeanour when interacting with strangers we encounter on our travels. On this trip, that fact came home to me during an impromptu music and dance performance at the Te Papa, New Zealand's gorgeous national museum in Wellington. Always keen on exploring interactive displays, he found a musical exhibit in the Polynesian section of the museum that let one hover over different musical selections to create a 'mix'. As he started to play DJ, a teenaged schoolboy wandered over to the display and began dancing. What started with one kid, grew into a flock of about 10 within a couple of minutes. Clearly trained dancers, the impromptu performance had me both laughing and cheering at a scene that drew parallels to the Pied Piper of Hamlin.
Just a day later, as we boarded the near-vertical Wellington cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, our local (seemingly well-travelled) co-passenger struck up a conversation with my husband. He talked about everything from his travels in the US and Brazil to the similarity in architecture between San Francisco and Wellington. My husband responded easily in a conversation that occupied the majority of the short ride. Just before they started chatting, the same friendly local had attempted to kick off a conversation with me, but my response, while polite, had been fairly short.
So, why, I wondered, did my far more extensive travel experience not help me be as friendly a traveller as my husband?
Well, for a start, I am not Caucasian. And second, I am not American. And I think these two characteristics influence your temperament as a traveller.
From the last few years of living in my adopted home, the US, if there's one thing I have learnt it's that the average American is confident. Equipped with an education that largely focuses on their own country (albeit mostly only on the period following the European occupation of the continent) and a news system that almost exclusively covers stories that touch Americans, s/he tends to assume that the world knows about the US and (allow me this stretch) by extension, them.
A Caucasian American has the added advantage of being Caucasian. So, not only are they denizens of the "world's most powerful country", they are also members of a race that typically only experiences "positive racism". With that in your back pocket, you can't help but be a friendly traveller, right?
Whereas, when you are not Caucasian and travel in a primarily Caucasian foreign country, and (very importantly) are sensitive, you see instances of racism around you. Ok, let's not generalize, I see racism around me.
For instance, when an air hostess seems to behave a little differently with me than she does with my Caucasian co-passenger, I attribute it to racism. Because, to me, that behaviour seems different in a condescending sort of way, whether it's the lack of a smile or greeting or just simple impatience with my request.
So, when I travel, and encounter a relatively friendly Caucasian stranger, my default reaction is to get out of a conversation, instead of using it as an opportunity to get to know a local.
For someone who's probably the least travelled of my family, my husband has a very open demeanour when interacting with strangers we encounter on our travels. On this trip, that fact came home to me during an impromptu music and dance performance at the Te Papa, New Zealand's gorgeous national museum in Wellington. Always keen on exploring interactive displays, he found a musical exhibit in the Polynesian section of the museum that let one hover over different musical selections to create a 'mix'. As he started to play DJ, a teenaged schoolboy wandered over to the display and began dancing. What started with one kid, grew into a flock of about 10 within a couple of minutes. Clearly trained dancers, the impromptu performance had me both laughing and cheering at a scene that drew parallels to the Pied Piper of Hamlin.
Just a day later, as we boarded the near-vertical Wellington cable car up to the Botanic Gardens, our local (seemingly well-travelled) co-passenger struck up a conversation with my husband. He talked about everything from his travels in the US and Brazil to the similarity in architecture between San Francisco and Wellington. My husband responded easily in a conversation that occupied the majority of the short ride. Just before they started chatting, the same friendly local had attempted to kick off a conversation with me, but my response, while polite, had been fairly short.
So, why, I wondered, did my far more extensive travel experience not help me be as friendly a traveller as my husband?
Well, for a start, I am not Caucasian. And second, I am not American. And I think these two characteristics influence your temperament as a traveller.
From the last few years of living in my adopted home, the US, if there's one thing I have learnt it's that the average American is confident. Equipped with an education that largely focuses on their own country (albeit mostly only on the period following the European occupation of the continent) and a news system that almost exclusively covers stories that touch Americans, s/he tends to assume that the world knows about the US and (allow me this stretch) by extension, them.
A Caucasian American has the added advantage of being Caucasian. So, not only are they denizens of the "world's most powerful country", they are also members of a race that typically only experiences "positive racism". With that in your back pocket, you can't help but be a friendly traveller, right?
Whereas, when you are not Caucasian and travel in a primarily Caucasian foreign country, and (very importantly) are sensitive, you see instances of racism around you. Ok, let's not generalize, I see racism around me.
For instance, when an air hostess seems to behave a little differently with me than she does with my Caucasian co-passenger, I attribute it to racism. Because, to me, that behaviour seems different in a condescending sort of way, whether it's the lack of a smile or greeting or just simple impatience with my request.
So, when I travel, and encounter a relatively friendly Caucasian stranger, my default reaction is to get out of a conversation, instead of using it as an opportunity to get to know a local.
