White, blonde, and blue eyed

It's weird being a minority here when so far in my life, I have been in the majority. I have to say that my high school and hometown in Naperville are very diverse, but it's still weird to stand out so much, even a month into my stay.

While I was walking around the old quarters this guy was following me and pointing to my shoes over and over again, I didn't understand him at all. He then reached down and took off my sandal...started to put glue on it. It was the weirdest thing but he just wanted money for his "service". I was like no! and grabbed my shoe back.

People in public are always coming up to me and trying to sell me food or anything! I bet these people would succeed in sales! Maybe I'll recruit a few of them. I do think it's nice that the people are very friendly and that I can try to communicate with them to learn more about the culture here.

One thing that is very different here is that people just openly stare. I'm a foreigner with blonde hair, so I really stick out. Anytime I go in public it's like I'm a runaway, and people stare me down from my head to my toes. It something that I don't think I will get used to, and it has made me be less friendly to strangers. I'm use to saying hello and smiling to every person I come in contact with from my past job experience. And now, I have to hold back since it causes more problems for me!

I was talking to one girl who came to church and she was asking me about America and the culture there. I found one of her questions very interesting.  She asked "how do you know when walking down a street in America if someone is a foreigner?" I didn't know what to say to her because it's something I have never had to think about. Here you really can tell a foreigner from their race or what they wear.  America is full of some many cultures and ethnicities that there is no way to know if someone is a foreigner unless you hear them speaking a foreign language.  My answer to her was you just ask them, then you know!