I recently visited Ohrid, North Macedonia, and it’s a beautiful place, but I experienced a lot of racism from the children here. Being an American who is ethnically Chinese, I was subjected to kids screaming “Ching Chong,” “Suck a penis ch*nk,” “China! China!!,” and “Nihao” at me in just two days. It’s been very hard to move past this and it’s really put me off from traveling further into the Balkans.
I understand why this can happen in smaller towns, where there’s not much diversity and kids are not taught what is socially acceptable, but it’s still definitely not okay. I’m sorry this happened to you. Being of South Asian ethnicity myself, I recently had to deal with racism due to the influx of economic migrants into Bosnia and Croatia. I was almost hit by a car on purpose twice, followed, and yelled at to “go back.” I was even questioned about my route when crossing the border and a white girl even changed her seat because I was brown. These experiences leave a bad taste in my mouth and I don’t want to downplay anyone else’s experience of racism.
I think it’s mainly xenophobia in rural towns, but it’s still not acceptable. It’s true that this might not happen as much in bigger cities, but it’s still important to be aware of the possibility of racism in the Balkans. Even if you have good experiences, it’s still important to understand that this kind of racism can still exist and should be taken seriously.