Feeling Different I Got a

Feeling Different I got a scholarship to study in the U.S. And I felt very excited about it. However I knew this would come as a challenge since it was to be my first time in the U.S. And I did not know what to expect in the new country. I expected it to feel different since this was not my native country and there were different cultures and beliefs.

When I arrived at the airport I felt I was given different treatment from other passengers not only from the staff at the airport but also from fellow passengers and people generally. This ranged from how the people spoke to me and even through their actions. It was a very awkward moment as the people there were looking at me in a funny way. Their eyes were full of suspicion and most of them avoided getting close to me.

When I went to join a queue for collecting luggage almost everyone moved away apart from two young men and a lady who were Muslims and I suppose were also from my country. I chose to remain calm since I did not want any confrontations that would lead to a more uncomfortable situation.

When I was taking my luggage the person who was handing them to me remarked "young man hope you do not have a bomb in there." This came as a surprise to me since there and then I felt that anyone from the Middle East was stereotyped for being a terrorist or being associated with terrorism. This is a great problem of perception, this is among the many varied ways that westerners in the U.S.

And in my case that man misinterpret and applied blanket stereotype on people from the Middle East. I told him that not everyone from the Middle East is a terrorist and he should not judge me based on that stereotype.

As I walked from the airport to outside where I was to meet with the person who had been sent to puck m and take me to the school, everyone seemed to move away from me looking at my luggage suspiciously was not carrying a lot since I knew I would have to but new things there. When I got outside the person to pick me had not yet arrived so I sat down next to a woman who was in the company of daughter.

The girl was playing around and by mistake touched my bag; the woman quickly pulled her away screaming" don't you know that these people do not like us." It was quite uncomfortable since I did not expect such words from her. Even if I am a stranger how I can possibly hate "them" and never knew them. This made me feel so bad since it was the least of what I expected from people in the U.S.

The one to take me finally arrived and just pointed to the taxi that he was to drive me in, he never bothered to assist me in my luggage as I saw other passengers being assisted. This was shocking and when I got into the taxi he told me that he hoped that I had not carried any explosives from where I came from I told him that he could have searched me if those were his thoughts. The whole experience.