Going from a Majority to a Minority
Posted on March 19, 2021 by Rebecca Well
There is no doubt that the average white American feels more comfortable to travel to certain countries whether that be due to language, race, gender, religious affiliations, or cultural awareness. Sure, they may not speak the same language of many European countries, but the Western norms and high concentration of churches makes it feel a little more familiar for them since they stay the majority. What if it got switched? What if the country you travel to makes you a blatant minority and you can no longer employ the strength in numbers strategy?
This happened to me when I travelled to Egypt and Jordan. This was my first visit to a non-European /Western country, so I did my research prior to going. I decided that, out of respect for their culture and to prevent unnecessary attraction to myself, I would wear long sleeves shirts and flowy pants while I was there and keep my long, blonde hair up in a bun or ponytail. I also wore a scarf around my neck so that if my tour visited a Mosque or another Muslim holy site, I could cover my hair out of reverence for their religious beliefs.
Prior to arrival, I thought this was enough. That is until the second day when I wore my hair in a ponytail. My tour group went to downtown Cairo to visit one of the oldest Coptic churches in the world. The tour was also shared with roughly 30 local Egyptian school children, mainly girls, on what appeared to be a field trip. They stared at me during the entire 40 minute tour. And when I say stared, I mean stared. They did not break their focus on my blonde hair or blue eyes the entire time and it made me incredibly uncomfortable. At one point I bent down to tie my shoe and a couple of them ran their tiny fingers through my ponytail and made me jump. I wore my hair in a bun for the rest of the trip.
I am not telling this story to make someone nervous or discourage someone from travelling.
Egypt is by far my most memorable country and I can’t wait to go back one day to dive
in the Red Sea. I genuinely believe those kids were just curious because they had
limited interaction with someone who looked like me in real life. It is just a fyi
if you will. I know my story is not unusual for Americans to experience. I have heard
of many African American women having their hair touched without their consent when
they travel to Asia because many natives have never seen their beautiful, kinky hair.
However, in this example, African Americans go from being a minority in America to
a minority in an Asian country. An American who is used to being part of the majority
in the States will have to recognize that they have lost that privilege. 
Outside of the United States, countries are far more homogenous in race and religion which makes foreigners stick out more than ever. Do your own research for whichever country you choose to travel to and learn about their expectations of foreigners, women, Christians, atheists, racial diverse, or anything that might make you deviate from their norms. If a part of you is considered part of the majority in the US, do special research on that area for your country of visitation. I have already mentioned the big ones of race and religion, but even something like your height could set you apart. Check out if they care about dressing modestly and what that means for that country. Get creative and start learning. Approaching this aspect of travel with respect and recognizing that you are a guest in their country, is a big part of understanding another’s culture, one of the biggest lessons of travel. You would not insult your host at a dinner party so do not insult the millions of citizens of your host country.