As a Fulbright Fellow, I am a goodwill ambassador for the United States. Doesn't that sound fancy?
In reality, however, "goodwill ambassador" is the diplomatic way of saying that I'm a representative of my country who's supposed to answer all of the random questions people have about America(ns). If we break this down even more, as an African American, I get to not only answer questions about my country, but my culture, also. I suppose some people would find some of the questions offensive/ignorant, but I choose to laugh or smile at them simply because I understand that the great majority of them are being asked out of genuine curiosity and without a drop of malice. Further, I can appreciate people wanting to know more about an unfamiliar culture. Indeed, if more people simply attempted to learn even the most general things about a different way of life, we would all be more empathetic and understanding, thus resulting in a better, more beautiful world.
That being said, I've decided to share the ten most random comments and questions that I've been asked so far.
- Teacher, if you do not mind my asking, how old are you? (not really random, but the way it was asked was adorable)
- Where are your ancestors from in Africa? (I don't even want to get started on what I was thinking versus what I said to that question)
- Do you sing gospel? (because apparently black people sing gospel, if we are to trust what Hollywood shows us)
- Are you a Democrat or Republican? (Not really a random question and I feel as though they expected me to say Democrat/Party of Obama. I can just imagine the bulging eyes if I'd said I was on the Romney-Ryan bandwagon)
- I thought all Americans drank coffee all the time (in my mind: "I thought all Spaniards drank coffee all the time")
- How is segregation these days? (How to explain that one?)
- I thought that, when Obama got elected, things got better for black people (*blinks*)
- Do you prefer Spain or the United States? (that's a pretty loaded one and my kiddies know they're setting themselves up for disappointment)
- Who is Oprah? (Silence. I mean, I understand that Oprah isn't popular everywhere, but...it's OPRAH!)
- Students: Do you have a boyfriend? Me: No Students: awwwwww, how sad
How did you answer the ancestor africa question...
ReplyDelete(being that our people were taken captive and made slaves its rather hard to find out where you are from in africa, unless you are willing to spend a few hundred dollars to find out )
The ancestor question is probably one of the most valid I have heard asked of a Black American in Europe. Also, one of my colleagues and I had this conversation shortly after I arrived in smalltown, France:
ReplyDeleteMe: I'm not what comes to mind as the "average" American.
Colleague: Of course! Your President is Black!
*I also blinked...the rest of the night :)*
Lela: more like a few thousand dollars! But I pretty much answered it the way you said, though in my mind I was thinking something completely different.
ReplyDeleteBMack: It was valid the second time it was asked, since I was speaking to a European. However, when an American here asked me that...