polite and friendly but they didn’t seem to want to talk to me.
I’m not used to this at all. I recently traveled to Scotland and the crowd was pretty diverse, but something weird happened at the hostels I stayed at. People would come down and sit at my table, yet they would only talk to other people who looked European. At first I thought it was because I’m American, but then I noticed the same thing happening to the Asian man on the other side of the table.
It happened again at another hostel in a different city. A group of people were talking and asking other people about their trips, but then they skipped me. I was confused until I said something about the drink they were tasting. Then they said “oh! you speak English so clearly” and started talking to me more, only to cut me out of the conversation again.
This made me realize that it was because of my race. I’m used to racism in America, but I had thought hostels would be more diverse and accommodating. Fortunately, that wasn’t always the case. The Scottish and English people I’ve met were very cool and welcoming. They showed no signs of racism or prejudice, and I felt right at home.
All in all, this experience was eye-opening and a bit disheartening. I was expecting a place as diverse as a hostel to have less racism, but that wasn’t always the case. Although it was disappointing, I’m glad I got to meet some really cool people who treated me with respect and kindness.