IT’S FEBRUARY, SO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS: IT’S BLACK HISTORY MONTH. I LOVE CELEBRATING AND EMBRACING WHO I AM. FOR ME, BEING BLACK IS EXTRAORDINARY. WE ARE THE ORIGINAL PEOPLE, AND WITHOUT US AND OUR VARIOUS CULTURES, THIS “NEW WORLD” WILL BE DULL AS F*CK. YOU WILL NOTICE THIS, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU TRAVEL AS A BLACK PERSON.
BEING BLACK IN TAIWAN IS KINDA DOPE. I LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN SOUTHEAST OF THE ISLAND, SO THERE AREN’T AS MANY FOREIGNERS THAT VISIT LET ALONE LIVE HERE (AND THE FOREIGNERS THAT ARE HERE DON’T LOOK LIKE ME OF COURSE). SURPRISINGLY, THE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN THE SWEETEST. OF COURSE, THERE ARE MANY STARES (WHICH I ALWAYS EXPECT WHEN TRAVELING ANYWHERE)BUT, THEY ALWAYS SAY WITH A HUGE SMILE (IN THEIR BROKEN ENGLISH): “HELLO!”, “HOW ARE YOU DOING?”, “WELCOME TO TAIWAN!”, “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!” YOU ALSO HAVE THE ONES WHO JUST STARE, AND ARE PROBABLY TALKING ABOUT YOU OUT LOUD IN THEIR LANGUAGE BUT, THEY FEEL MY SELF CONFIDENCE, WHICH MAKES THEM CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT THEY SAY.
YOU’D ASSUME THAT I WAS THE ONLY BLACK PERSON IN THIS SMALL TAIWANESE TOWN….NOPE!THIS PAST NOVEMBER, THE WEEK BEFORE THANKSGIVING, THE TOWN HELD ITS ANNUAL FOOD FEST. THE WHOLE CITY ATTENDED, IT WAS EXTREMELY CROWDED, YET BEAUTIFUL. THE VENDORS WERE FROM ALL OVER ASIA, AND EVEN EUROPE. THE VARIETY OF FOODS WERE AMAZING. BUT AS SOON AS I ARRIVED, I SAW ANOTHER SISTAH FROM ALABAMA, AND SHE SAW ME AS WELL. I CAME ALONE WHILE SHE WAS WITH SOME FRIENDS. WE IMMEDIATELY INTRODUCED OURSELVES, AND I JOINED HER AND HER FRIENDS…..
EVER SINCE THEN, WE’VE BEEN STAYING IN TOUCH AND MEETING UP WHEN WE CAN (WE’RE BOTH BUSY AND LIVE ON THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF TOWN).
FOR BOTH OF US, IT’S A RELIEF WHEN WE HANG OUT. WE TALK ABOUT EVERYTHING. IT’S A RELIEF HAVING CONVERSATION WITHOUT CONSTANTLY EXPLAINING YOURSELF DUE TO THE IGNORANCE OF OTHERS. HOW AMAZING IT MUST BE FOR TWO SISTAHS FROM JERSEY AND ALABAMA TO MEET IN A SMALL TOWN IN TAIWAN, AND SERVE AS AMBASSADORS FOR OUR PEOPLE. COME ON FAMILY, LET’S SEE THE WORLD, WE’RE EVERYWHERE.
IMAGES VIA:
Loray’s Journeys 