We are different but same same

As I am traveling around Spain, especially to the small towns and villages, I can’t help but feel a faint animosity towards Asians in some people. Getting weird looks on the street, some people giving us the wide berth when passing, the way service staff treat us differently, etc. I get it that many Asians behave badly and I hate that because it gives us a bad name. But to generalise us based on our looks is unfair. Most people like to assume before they give you a chance and get to know you. But I like to go out of my way to change these prejudices people have. I am not good at most things but one thing I am good at is impersonating accents. If you know me personally you probably have heard me switch from one language to another, or speak with a different accent in the same language depending on who I talk to. A few years ago when I was playing poker in London, there were 3 Asian players on my table including myself. There was an obviously tipsy Brit who was quite aggressive towards us but as soon as I opened my mouth and discussed beer and “foot-bull” (my best impression of the word Football in a Liverpool accent) he had a different attitude altogether, even towards the other two asian players who didn’t speak to him.

Chinese Restaurant in Granada

I am still trying to learn Spanish, and can speak very little of it. But the sentences that I do speak, I can speak in a pretty decent Spanish accent. Thanks to the pronunciation being very similar to Malay, another language I am fluent in. I went up to the counter and said in fluent Spanish “La cuenta por favor” (Bill please) and I saw the old man next to me do a double take. There are some Asians in Madrid that speak fluent Spanish, but often with a heavy Asian accent. I happen to do this is Segovia where I only saw one other asian looking dude in the whole town. People suddenly started treating me differently when they heard me speak their own language. The other day I even made a joke on the poker table calling myself a “big fish” in Spanish and it made everyone laugh. 

"If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart." Nelson Mandela

 Bumped into a protest in Madrid. People just want the same things

I too have been at fault for judging people by their looks. I used to love Vietnam and it’s people but after spending time there, I have learned to see through their friendliness and find the hidden dagger many have for others especially foreigners. In my time there I probably only kept 1 or 2 Vietnamese friends that I still respect and appreciate. Jumping over to Cambodia I was immediately taken aback by how different they were to their close neighbours. I thought they were more genuine and carefree but boy was I wrong. As a people they are very united, which is commendable. Maybe because of their tragic history, there’s an inbred culture of self preservation, animosity towards foreign culture, successfully taking advantage of a foreigner is celebrated amongst their own as if they won a small battle against the enemy. Of course there are exceptions and a couple of people I respect and like, but given the pressures of their culture and people, I know they would choose them over me in a heartbeat, and I don’t blame them. For them to even pause and consider was good enough for me.

Innocent little girl walking around on the train to Cordoba

I have also met with a few people in Spain that were very friendly, helpful, welcoming and accepting. They obviously can see through my skin and looks and still treat me like everyone else. During this trip I also tried to be friendly everyone I meet, I helped an old man carry his mother on her wheelchair, picked up a lady's phone charger on the train, gave money to an old uncle asking for train money, helped someone with her luggage from the plane in hopes that it would convince them to think twice before judging every Asian they meet. Everyone is different. Even people who look like us may think or act differently from us. We have difference of opinions, ideas, values, cultures, manners, practices, beliefs but we are still the same species. Our purpose in life is to live harmoniously in spite of the differences because it is that difference that makes life interesting. We enjoy different cuisines, why can’t we enjoy the people who make them? You don’t have to agree with me, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. Peace guys.