By Kelly Yue
While travelling and studying abroad in Asia are rewarding opportunities, Black students often encounter different experiences due to the color of their skin. The Lotus interviewed three Black students, John Capers ’21 (Japan and Hong Kong), Dylan Hall ’22 (China and South Korea), Josh Kalenga ’23 (Hong Kong, Cambodia, and Nepal), who have had varying experiences in Asia.
“Sometimes I forgot I was Black.”
John Capers ’21 is a senior Political Science and German Studies double major. Born and raised in Chicago, John recalls watching anime and playing Japanese video games with his eldest sister growing up as his first exposure to Asian cultures. During his junior year winter break, he visited Tokyo and Hong Kong, his first time stepping foot in Asia.
While in Tokyo, he enjoyed visiting the buzzing anime district Akihabara and doing a day trip to Mount Fuji. When he was in Hong Kong, he spent time with his partner’s family and friends which gave him a more local perspective on the international city.
When asked about his experience as a Black person in Asia, John says “Sometimes I forgot I was Black.” He emphasizes that anti-Blackness was still present in Tokyo and Hong Kong, but it was manifested in different forms than in the United States. For example, there was a visible difference in racial tolerance between generations and regions as he was being stared at a lot more by older people in rural settings. Yet, he still perceives his time in Asia as a relief from the United States. “When I’m in the US, so much of my life as a Black person is defined by race.” But race wasn’t as big of a factor in terms of how people treated him when he was in Asia.
John will be taking Elementary Japanese in Blocks 7 and 8, which he refers to as the perfect ending of his college journey. He advises Black students who wish to visit Asia to be prepared for something different and to have their expectations challenged. He also strongly recommends learning the local language of the places you want to visit. “Show how much you care.”
“When people question your language ability, shock them.”
Dylan Hall ’22 is a junior from Buffalo, New York, majoring in Political Science with minors in Chinese and Japanese language. Her initial exposure to Asian cultures was taking Mandarin Chinese in fifth grade, which the 10-year-old her thought was “the coolest language”. She continued learning Mandarin Chinese at Colorado College and started taking Japanese classes. Dylan took part in the “CC in China” program as a freshman. On the one hand, she was amazed by the opportunity to personally experience all the things she had learned about China since fifth grade. On the other hand, her identity as a Black person complicated her abroad experience. “I felt like an attraction, an animal in a zoo.” For example, locals constantly asked to take pictures with her, and some even grabbed her hair.
“Kids would sometimes shout ‘非洲人 (African)’ when they saw me. I would turn to them and say ‘我是美國人 (I’m American)’ in Mandarin. It always shocked them.” She notes how her Mandarin proficiency enabled her to make connections especially with little kids in China as she could turn these encounters into conversations and even practice English with the kids.
Dylan also notes the immense support provided by Professor Fanny Zhang during her time in China and calls Prof. Zhang her “school mom”. Whenever Dylan talks to Prof. Zhang about her frustrating experiences surrounding race, Prof. Zhang would always be there to listen and offer support.
She recalls her 4-day block break trip to Seoul as a break from her time in China since she wasn’t stared at as much. Her passion for k-pop also made this trip thrilling and she expresses excitement about learning Korean in the future.
When asked to offer advice to Black students wanting to visit Asia, Dylan reminds students to be open and receptive when travelling. “You’re coming from the opposite end of the world, people are gonna stare at you, people are gonna touch your hair.” She also stresses the importance of learning the local language in making the abroad experience more immersive. “When people question your language ability, shock them.”
“A new way of seeing the world comes with living in a different culture.”
Josh Kalenga ’23 is a sophomore from Zambia majoring in Computer Science. While it wasn’t easy for him to point to a specific instance regarding his introduction to Asian cultures, he finally settled on one thing: anime.
At the age of 18, Josh was selected by the United World College (a network of 18 high schools around the world) Zambian National Committee to attend the UWC in Hong Kong, which marked the beginning of his two-year adventure in Asia.
When asked about his initial culture shocks in Hong Kong, Josh says “people walk really fast and they drink hot water.” Leaving home for an extensive period of time for the first time was undoubtedly challenging for Josh as he recalls feeling homesick and isolated during Christmas when he stayed at a hostel alone. Nevertheless, he recognizes his time in Hong Kong as providing him with a new perspective in seeing the world. “I guess this new way of seeing the world comes naturally with living in a different culture.” During his time in UWC, he also had the opportunities to visit Nepal and Cambodia through school trips. Of all the places he has visited, Kathmandu is his favorite, due to its vibrant city life and the locals’ hospitality.
While Josh said he did not experience explicit racism in Hong Kong, he notes the one exception: when he was taking the train with his schoolmate from South Sudan, a local lady immediately stood up once they sat down next to her. It was an uncomfortable experience for Josh but he also thinks about the many instances where little kids expressed curiosity when meeting him, as he was likely the first Black person with whom they ever interacted.
As an avid soccer fan, Josh wishes to visit Japan in the future to watch matches in the Japanese soccer league and visit the world-renowned rooftop soccer fields. He advises Black students to show excitement and take part in the local culture when visiting Asia. He also reminds students that “while some people may assume things based on the color of our skin, these people aren’t necessarily representatives of the entire culture.”
