Which Country Have You Felt Like You Were the Most Foreign?

To all my globetrotters and world travelers, I’m curious and would like for you to share, “Which Country Have You Felt Like You Were the Most Foreign?”. I can tell you that my most foreign experience where I really felt like a foreigner was when I first went to China.

My first trip to Hong Kong was in 2005 which is a very international city. I did not feel like a foreigner so much in Hong Kong. However I went from Hong Kong to Shenzhen, China which is very close to Hong Kong and I still didn’t feel too much out of place or like a foreigner. I then went from Shenzhen to Guangzhou, China and it was there where I felt like I was on display in a huge way. I didn’t feel uncomfortable in a sense where I felt like I was unsafe or threatened at all. I just felt like and understood that many of the people that I came in contact with in Guangzhou had never seen a Black Man in person before. I know this to be the case as a few of them actually told me this. They were amazed and looking at them and their expressions was a little entertaining for me. At the same time, it made me feel uncomfortable a few times but again, not in a threatening or unsafe way.

I had a similar experience with some Asians from China later when I was in Australia. There were two Asian guys who were fascinated with seeing a Black man and wanted to touch me and took pictures with me to show others that they saw a Black man live and in color, LOL. I found it amusing and was happy for them to be able to experience such. All of this demonstrates how bordered and segregated our world is that limits the opportunity for people to experience the differences, cultures and ethnicities of others in the same one world that we all share.

So, tell us globetrotters, “Which Country Have You Felt Like You Were the Most Foreign?”