I See White People

I've lived in the Philippines for almost a year now and I've gotten pretty much used to being the only white person in the village. Of course, I'm not really the only white person in the village (village being neighbourhood) but sometimes I can go several weeks without seeing another Caucasian. At first this bothered me. Not because I'm white and Filipinos aren't but because being white means I really stand out. I stand out, and people stare at me because of it. Especially kids because they don't know any better. They stare, and continue staring even when I stare back. At least with adults once I stare back they quickly look away and pretend they weren't staring in the first place. I hated standing out, and I hated being stared at. In Vancouver I liked blending in with the crowd. Sure, Vancouver is a mosaic of several races/cultures but it's still so easy to blend in with the crowd. Here in the Philippines, I can't blend; they treat me like some odd celebrity which to this day I still don't understand. So imagine being a shy guy who hates standing out in a crowd who ends up moving to a country where blending is impossible. Let's just say my first few months here were rather awkward. The staring really bothered me. But as time went by I got used to my odd celebrity status and now although I don't necessarily revel in it, it definitely doesn't bother me as much anymore.

Now that you've read above, I can tell you about a new development in my life here: I've become like those staring Filipinos. Since I hardly ever see Caucasians anymore it actually freaks me out when I see large groups of them. I'm not used to it. I'm used to the happy, friendly Filipino faces, not the like often serious and grumpy looking Caucasian faces. When ever I see Caucasians I find myself wondering if I should stare at them, smile at them, or ignore them altogether. Maybe this is the same thought patterns a local Filipino has when they see me. I think like them now so I'm one step closer to being pinoy!