Kuler

So. It's another late night at the office...and while waiting for my "mume" to finish his day, I just read an article from Newsweek about how children perceive race. It was quite thought provoking. And not just for the surprising findings of the studies highlighted by the author. Forgive me if this comes across as a PC faux pas, but after reading it, I can't help but think about my experience as a minority white girl among a lot of beautiful black people. You might've guessed this post was probably eventually coming. This article was the perfect segue.

Coming from home-town, (almost) homogeneous Farmington, UT [which by the way was recently voted #14 in the 100 Best Places to Live by Money Magazine--not too shabby!], I have to admit I knew only one black person in all my years of school...and, unfortunately, we weren't even friends. Now, many years and miles later, I find myself in a completely converse situation. Now I find people unabashedly stare at me because, frankly, I kind of stand out. It's interesting to be on the other side of the looking glass.

I've been not-so-politely called at, been "mzungu-ed" at and been "pssssssssssst!!!" at. I've had my water pressure sabotaged and been charged up to double for goods and/or services on more than one occasion. And all because my skin looks different. (I even had someone point out the other day that I'm really white--even for a white person.)

Most of it is reasonably harmless. (With the exception of a few fabricated "emergencies" where we really got ripped off.) It's mostly people trying to earn a living...while acknowledging the fact that I'm one of these things that's not like the others. It's a little daunting at times to receive that kind of attention. I have a new-found respect for anyone who has ever discovered him- or herself to be a minority. And while I don't have anything earth-shattering to say about racial relations, I again can't help but think about what an interesting predicament the human race is in. We are all unavoidably different--and on so many more levels than just the color of our skin. And yet (here come the cliches) we all share the same earth, the same sun and are asked to get along with one another.

I used to be a really picky eater. I had a real aversion to red meat, anything with "sauce," seafood, and everything else that didn't fit into my peaches-ice-cream-and-cheese-sandwich diet. I'm sure my mother wondered for much of my childhood and adolescence if I was really her daughter, as she's a woman who'll eat almost anything, and make it look delectable while doing so. She's even been known to drink pickle juice out of the jar because she loves the vinegar. I, on the other hand, refused, absolutely refused, to try anything new. Then, somewhere, at some not-so-clearly-defined moment, I grew up. A whole culinary world of wonder was suddenly opened to my palate. Maybe it came from mandatory exposure to new cuisines as I spent time living in other countries. Who knows. But what I do know is that eating is a lot more exciting to me. I still love my peaches and ice cream and grilled cheese sandwiches. But, I've added to my Top 10 things like sauerkraut, beef with snowpeas, coconut curry and, yes, water "with gas." (And, no, seafood will never be on the Top 10. Ever. I have my limits.)

I guess that's how I feel about people. Growing up, my parents always taught me to love other people for who they are. And I tried. But, due to my rather un-diverse circumstances, I didn't always have to see through differences to the core of a person. As I got older and gained more exposure to the world, I was suddenly faced with the task of trying to "get along" with people who were so different from me. I can't say that I was always a Mother Teresa of an example. But, somewhere along the way, I started to grow up. I began to see differences as something that didn't threaten me, but as something that made the world more interesting to me. I still have my religion, my race, my culture, my conservative ideologies. I don't agree with everything that people say or think or do. And in some cases, I don't agree at all. But. I can say that I feel I am a truer person now because of the people who have entered my life and been very, very different from myself. I'm not perfect in my efforts, but my life today feels richer and more dimensional.

Yes, I've paid twice as much for bananas in Kenya as my black "sistas" do. But. I've also found that children excitedly shout their broken English "HOW - ARE - YOU ?!?!" and adults smile easily when I pass by, acquaintances are careful to ensure that I'm taken care of, and people are intrigued to know about me as a person. All because my skin is white. I think therein lies a blessing and lesson of diversity.