Concerns of a Black Chick Moving to Australia

Moving abroad is a daunting feat. Moving abroad and wondering, “shit, what the hell am I going to do with my hair?” might not quite resonate with some of you.

Here are the facts: Australia is stark white. 92% of the population is Caucasian. My black ass is sure to stick out like a sore thumb! Now now, I’m quite used to being in situations where I’m one of few black people….I was one of 3 black people in my fourth grade graduating class….I was the only black person in my house of 30 students when I studied abroad in Sydney….and I’ve lived in a town called Springfield my entire life for goodness sakes.

This also isn’t my first time to Australia. When I returned from Sydney after my study abroad experience, one of the first questions many friends and family asked was some variation of, “Do they like Black people?” And I was happy and lucky to declare, I had a grand time in Sydney, free of racism and ignorance (at least to my face)! I say lucky because prior to Australia I heard a few horror stories here and there from black travelers. Plus, there’s no denying the cruel history of the treatment of Aboriginal people in Australia (Learn something: Read about "The Stolen Generations" or Watch the film Rabbit Proof Fence).

Now, America is a very unique place. Being the “melting pot” that it is, America has a level of diversity quite unseen in most countries in the world. Just take a look at the island of Manhattan

for example. On one tiny landmass, you have the Blacks in Harlem, the Chinese down in Chinatown, the Jews of Lower East Side, and the lily whites of the Upper East Side; within a 100-block span, you’ve basically traveled around the world. Furthermore, being black in NJ is no big deal…numbers wise. Although blacks are a minority in America, in the Northeast (I can’t speak for everywhere in America) there are enough of us here not to stand out. However, being black ABROAD, and I’m speaking particularly about countries where black people are far and few, I’m sure to be confronted with my race more so than I am here.

Living in Sydney for a year, I suspect is going to be a vastly different experience from being there for a 5-month vacation, which is essentially what study abroad was. Although my experience the first time around was 100% positive, I still do have just a few concerns…

1. Hair

Black hair care. Oh the plight of black women! If you’re a white male, feel free to skip along to number 2 cuz I’m sure you’ll be lost reading this. If you’re a sista, let’s talk! Do I get a weave? Do I get braids? Do I go natural? Do I get a perm? The possibilities are endless and the heartache is distressing. Taking care of my hair really is one of the banes of my existence. In budgeting out my trip to Australia, you best believe “hair care” was a financial concern written right along with “book a flight” and “find housing.”

When I first went to Sydney, I moved in to my house, set up my room, and as soon as I got on to the Internet, one of the first things I did was Google “black hair salons in Sydney.” True story. Seeing as there are black people everywhere you go, I found a place 30 minutes from where I lived and homegirl hooked me up! But this time around, spending a YEAR abroad during a time when I JUST started a whole new hair regimen and in a country where a beauty supply store or a Dominican doobie salon isn’t readily at my disposal, all I can say is #STRESSSSSSSS!

2. Being stared at

If you’re traveling while black, you’re gonna get stared at! The simple fact of the matter is, in a lot of countries, people just aren’t used to seeing black people! Sure, they encounter black people on TV, but a real live-in the flesh black person?! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, and they’re trying to capture it all by staring at you!

Being stared at while traveling can range from

flattery to annoyance. Constantly feeling eyes on you when all you want to do is pick your nose or eat a slice of pizza in peace kinda makes me realize what celebrities go through on a daily basis. When I traveled to China, my sister and I were constantly taking pictures with random people and people were constantly giving us double-takes when walking down the street. The funniest story…at a museum in Beijing, my mom sat down to rest her feet and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a woman in the corner sneakily snapping a picture of my mom. The level of attention we got in China was pretty entertaining. On the other hand, while riding the train alone in Athens, Greece this past summer, this old man literally stared at me for the ENTIRE train ride. Creepy and annoying.

In Sydney, I don’t remember the stares being all that uncomfortable. Noticeable? Definitely! It was mostly young kids or old people who’d look at me a little too long. Or sometimes guys while out clubbing or bar hopping, which I can’t say was always a bad thing ; )

3. Encounters with racism or ignorance

It’s never fun being the sole representative for your race. If you’re black and grew up in the white suburbs, I’m sure you can relate with me that Black History Month meant a month of awkwardness and your classmates looking over at you whenever the word “slavery” was uttered. Basically, the YouTube Video "Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls" was the story of my upbringing.

Being black and traveling abroad, you almost want to be on your best behavior for fear of fulfilling some ignorant stereotype of black people shown on TV or in movies. And while I’ve never encountered outright racism while abroad, there’s definitely been some outlandish ignorance. For instance, on the tiny island of Paros, Greece this past summer, I was talking with this guy who was so shocked my name was Natasha. He thought, and I quote, “you’d be named Shaniqua or something.” And then he asked me if there were a lot of “gangsters” where I’m from. *side eye* While harmless, I soon found myself dropping some serious knowledge on this boy on my vacation when all I wanted to do was enjoy myself.

Like I said before, Australia has a pretty nasty history of the government’s treatment of Aboriginal people. Knowing this before going to study abroad in Sydney, I naturally did wonder if I’d ever encounter racism or ignorance while abroad. I ended up having a completely positive experience while studying abroad in Sydney and the Australians I did have conversations with, I found them to be pretty receptive to African-Americans. But while in Sydney, I know if someone is ever a jerk to me, it’s natural for the first thing to think—its because I’m black. In my 22 years on this Earth, I can count the number of racist encounters I’ve endured on one hand. Let’s hope it stays that way!

4. Missing Black culture and Black people

I am going to miss my favorite morning radio show—The Breakfast Club with DJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne.

I’m going to miss Jamaican food. I’m going to miss hearing hip-hop and dancehall in the clubs. I’m going to miss commiserating with someone over the struggles of my hair. I’m going to miss talking shit about white people.

Why is that guy wearing flip-flops in the rain?

SMH. White people.

Where is that girl’s jacket? It's cold as hell outside!

SMH. White people.

Moving to Sydney for a year means I’m gonna miss out on some good ol’ black on black bonding. Yes there are black people in Australia…around 250,000 African immigrants, which is far and few compared to the general population, so I’m not banking on making a whole new group of black friends in Australia. The good thing—never once when I was in Sydney did I NOT feel like myself or was made to feel like the odd girl out because I was the only black girl around. But I will admit, there were definitely moments where a fellow darkie might have been nice.

So I'm Moving to Australia!

So it’s been a while since I’ve blogged…4 months to be exact. But I’m back! Because I finally have something worthwhile to write about…SURPRISE! I’M MOVING TO AUSTRALIA! This is something I’ve been thinking about, torturing myself about, secretly killing myself over for quite some time, but I’ve finally officially booked a ticket, I got a year long working-holiday visa, and it’s all really happening!

So why am I moving to Australia?? I can spend hours answering this question and will probably address this very question in several more blog posts to come. But for now, below you’ll find a stream of random ramblings I wrote one random night a couple random months ago, when I was extra-specially confused about the state of my life. I sounded like a crazy person, but I think somewhere in there I put together a feasible explanation for why going the conventional graduate college-get a serious job route just isn’t for me….at least not for now.

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Why does my fancy shmancy Ivy League degree feel like a burden? (Side note: I definitely need to make sure my Dad never reads that very sentence). I’m trying to find a job, but I’m so confused about what I want to do. I have a slight loss of passion and ambition because more than anything right now I want to travel! The travel bug is here again but I’m supposed to get a job! I sound like a selfish little brat…people would kill to go to college, be able to afford it, have the experiences I have had, but there are more life experiences to be had outside of going to college and then getting a straight 9-5.

Am I crazy that I want to work as a waitress? Seriously though, I’ve always wanted to try it at least once. The other day I found myself on a website about getting a job on a cruise ship, then I thought “what on Earth would my Dad think if he saw me right now?” I have all these selfish-hippie-live life- be young and dumb-free-spirited desires, but I’m afraid to pursue them because it’s not what I’m SUPPOSED to do. When u graduate from a school like Penn, anything less than a corporate job or run of the mill entry level position in your given field is blasphemous! Only the best is expected of you and ASAP.

I slaved at unpaid internships for three summers and now I’m expected to do the next step and get a job in communications for the mere sake of fulfilling my bachelors degree and everyone’s expectations and ensuring everyone not to worry, that my $50,000/year education didn’t go to shit. After graduating, some of my friends hadn’t found jobs yet and were panicking. I was panicking thinking about all the traveling I wanted to do and how I probably wouldn’t be able to do it had I signed up immediately for a job.

Old people always says: “Do what makes you happy.” But I don’t think any of them actually believe it when they say it. What people really need to say is: “Do what makes you happy, but don’t go too crazy!” I been trying to keep the “do what makes u happy thing” at the forefront of my mind, but between college grad expectations, watching my friends move on to the real world job market, a travel bug crawling up my leg, and trying to please my parents, I’m all jacked up in the head!

All I know…what I want to do right now is live boldly, live fearlessly, take risks, and shock not just the people around me, but surprise my damn self. At the end of the day, this is my life and I have to be happy with it. It’s moments like sitting on the cliffs in Coogee Beach, Sydney or riding on the back of a scooter through the streets of Barcelona that made me feel most alive and that’s all I really want right now. A 9-5 entry-level desk job ain’t going anywhere! Whether I take the job now or 5 years from now, either way, those types of jobs will always be around. Traveling while I’m young with nothing to lose…no serious job, boyfriend, apartment lease, car note, or kids…this opportunity won’t always be here.

“Life won’t always be just about you.”