By Kyonne R., BSILR'18
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Kyonne R. ILR’18 &
Ijeoma E. GH’17 with a family they befriended at the Sri Chamarajendra
Zoological Gardens.
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My limited experience
here in Mysore has helped me to develop a more nuanced approach to the
unsolicited attention I experience as a foreigner in a new land. I am a 6’4”,
250-pound Black male traveling through Mysore, India. I assume that there
aren’t many Mysoreans of my size and stature - evidenced by the inaccessibility
of kurtas in my size. In my limited travels, I have seen people who are as
dark, if not darker than myself, but my hair, my style of dress, and the
company I keep seem to be dead giveaways that I am not of this land. And for
that reason I’ve gotten quite a bit of unsolicited attention since my arrival -
attention that somehow I didn’t expect, coming to a region of phenotypically
black and brown people.
What I often take for
granted, however, is that the local population might be just as enamored by me
as I am by them. Out of fascination, I have taken countless pictures of
individuals who are just navigating their lives as ordinarily as they ever
have. That is of course unsolicited attention for them as well. Since my
presence is both unsolicited and unanticipated at the local hospitals and
grocery stores, I can’t blame someone for wanting to take a picture of me for
the records. And at the end of the day when I am sharing an account of my day’s
adventures with friends and family, it’s always pleasant to have a photo to go
along with it!
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| Taking selfies while waiting in line for the boat to the Dubare Elephant Camp. |
