Minority Status

Today I realized that I am a minority.

I walked into school today and decided to count how many people I saw who did not have brown eyes. By the time I walked into my classroom, my count was at zero. I think I might have seen one person who had colored eyes, but other than that everyone I looked at definitely had brown eyes. It's funny because I have darker skin than some of them, but I definitely stand out as the most caucasian. In one of my classes I am the only person who doesn't have dark brown to black hair.

You can tell Cariocas from their eyes. Even the convincing blondes here have dark eyes. The further south (further away from the equator) you get, you get more caucasians. Even in Sao Paulo, which is only an hour away by plane, about 15% of my Paulista friends were blonde haired and blue eyed. Not so here.

Saturday I was in a club and a Carioca saw me from a distance, walked up to me and said in English, "You're a gringa, aren't you?" (Gringa here isn't offensive, by the way) I laughed and said yes, and he responded, "You're probably the only foreigner in this club. I always know how to spot them."

Also, I have noticed that when I straighten my hair I look much more like a gringa than when my hair is curly. It makes no sense (especially because Brazilians straighten their hair when they go out and many Brazilians have naturally straight hair anyway) but I have noticed that people can pick me out easier as a foreigner when I have straight hair.

Well, I guess this is just further proof that I need to buy a pair of the amazing fitting Brazilian jeans that I see all the girls wearing. Sure, it won't make my eyes any darker, but at least my butt will look more Brazilian. One step at a time, right?