In general being mixed is both a blessing and a curse. It's not like I asked to be born different or to have a multi-ethnic background, so it's hard when people try to make it an issue by treating me like I'm an abhorrent person, or assuming I'm something I am not and being rude in accordance with said assumption. At the same time, there are those that think my multicultural status makes me an amazing creature that has been blessed with all the positives of my ethnic background. What I have come to appreciate the most are the neutral and unbiased people I have met that don't focus on the specifics of my ethnicity all the time, and can learn to appreciate me for who I am as a person.
Within the United States, for the most part, people seem to not be so timid about asking questions and understanding my background. Outside the U.S., It's another story altogether. Most foreigners don't seem to understand the concept of interracial marriage unless it's within their own cultural background (like the intermixing in Latin countries or within Muslim culture).
I got to do some traveling abroad and some people seem to think anything different from the "norm" is awesome (in China & Japan) while others are seemingly flabbergasted that I even exist. Also, people outside the U.S. don't seem to know what African-American, Black or just African, in general, is in most places. I had to name a country in Africa to even begin to explain my Father's ethnicity to them. I always figured that other countries learn about world history as well, but this is not the case. I found this hard to swallow, and even more depressing was that most people wouldn't ask, but rather assume what I am and ended up treating me terribly because of it. I was mistaken for a specific ethnic group that was not highly regarded where I was staying on one occasion, in Dubai, and my American accent didn't help that either. So, in turn it made for a horrible experience and makes me not want to travel to that country again.
These are just some of the things I've come across, experienced, and observed through my travels and life experience. This may not be the same for every mixed person especially considering that we all don't look the same. I just want to share and talk about the things I've had to deal with.
Thank you for reading!
