Never in my life I would have considered myself a Person of Color. I consider myself a minority all the time, but I never a Person of Color until Peace Corps. In fact, I thought I was going to blend-in easily here in Georgia. But, I was so wrong. I’m simply olive-skinned with brown hair and brown eyes. I won’t go into detail about my ethnic origins, but I am a minority. Apparently, I’m a minority that Georgians have no idea how to deal with. I’ve been learning that there isn’t a clear consensus among the Peace Corps volunteer community either. The non-white volunteers (that I’ve talked with) consider me a Person of Color; however, the white volunteers are shocked when I tell them my stories. It might be safe to say that I’m in that awkward middle…no man’s land. So let me tell you some of my stories from this week alone:
I was leaving Tbilisi back to my site yesterday. About two minutes into the cab ride from my hostel to the train station, the cab driver asks in Georgian, “where are you from?”
“I am American,” I answered, but I knew that the conversation was probably not going to stop there.
He pauses for a moment dissatisfied,”No, where are you from?”
“America. I am American.”
“So Mexico?”
“No.”
“Colombia?”
“No.”
“Ecuador?”
“No.”
And the game continues to solicit every other country in Latin America.
“But you do not look American.”
And yup, he just went there.
Throughout this entire conversation, I was calm because it wasn’t the first time. I remember telling one of my friends about this type of interaction months ago and she was surprised. Later, we were together around town and a Georgian asked us where we were from since we were speaking English. My friend responds and says, “America.” He then looks at me and says, “and you?” “We are both American.” He peppers me with further questions- but with me only. He took my friend at face value when she said American, but I was not granted that same privilege. Immediately after, we laughed since I had literally just told her that this happens all the time.
Other things include like taking pictures and/or videos. For example, a few days ago I was on the metro with a few other of my PCV friends. A lot of times, Georgians stare at us or become curious because we are foreigners. American tourists are not widely popular here in Georgia (in fact, I’ve yet to meet one). So when one of the Georgian men on the metro started staring at me, I thought it was because I was a foreigner. However, it became clear that it was because I was a Person of Color. I was with a few other PCVs, all of whom were white. None of them were stared at. Also, I was the only one who had their picture and video taken! We were all speaking English together, but I was the only one who was singled out.
These moments are what Volunteers of Color call, “Learning Opportunities.” This is where we get to be a representative of America in a raw and honest way. We get to show people that America is diverse. Simply being present shows Georgians that being American can mean foreign-born or natural-born, white or otherwise, or anything else. Another friend was joking that even if I accomplish nothing else, at least I have accomplished this. I am a walking lesson to show that anyone can “look” American.
On the other side of the coin, there are Georgians who have become my strongest advocates. For example, my host mother is the perfect example. Each time we have guests over and they only question my “American-ness,” but not my husband’s, my host mom is the first line of defense. I no longer even have to say a word to defend/explain myself. She will say that America has a lot of immigrants and dual nationalities. She will also use her daughter as an example. He eldest daughter immigrated to America years ago and therefore is equally Georgian and American. Therefore, if her daughter can be American, then so can I. I’m so blessed and lucky to have her as a host mother.
My counterpart is also incredibly proud of my ethnic diversity. She has actually studied a bit about it during her college days. Given the chance, Georgians ask very thoughtful questions about our diverse landscape. I’ve had great discussions at work about the U.S Consitution and about checks and balances. We have talked about how one of the things that America is wonderful is how different nationalities and backgrounds have come together to build a beautiful and proud nation.
But nothing is harder than answering questions about America’s political climate, especially as a minority. At lunch today, my coworkers asked me about Trump’s new immigration ban. But more specifically, they asked how it would affect me and my family. I was literally asked, “Do you think you are still allowed to be a citizen after all this?” “Is your family going to be deported if they know where you were born?” These are questions I thought I would never have to answer during my service. Actually, these are questions I never thought I would think about ever. Personal feelings aside, questions like this are difficult because we are not ordinary private American citizens. We are representatives of the American government; therefore, our actions and words carry a lot of weight. I simply responded with a quick history of the US Consitution and what a beautiful document it is. I talked about checks-and-balances that America’s president does not hold all the power. It was my long-winded way of saying that I don’t think their concerns would be a reality.
But this is the world that I live in. American politics are broadcasted on international news channels. People around the world read and hear about what is happening in the United States all the time. Our country truly does impact the rest of the world. So at least while I’m doing my best answering questions in a diplomatic way, my fellow Peace Corps volunteers regardless of ethnic origin, race, or religion are supportive of me through this journey.