Author: st1219016

Categories
Social Encounters

Clubbing with the Caribbeans

It was Saturday, June 11th. The night was still young and me and my friends had decided to partake in what Taichung’s nightlife had to offer. This weekend: clubbing. The destination: 18TC. Arriving in separate Ubers we all unpacked out of the cars getting in line for what seems to be a bustling night club. Intimidated by the two checkpoints to get in we made sure we had our papers in order: passport, IDs, vaccinations cards, all of the sort, and left no room to be denied, spoiling our fun and wasting the money spent on Ubers. One by one we get stamped in and are given a drink card redeemable at the first of two bars, a concept foreign to me in regard to my American clubbing knowledge, not that I can legally do so yet, however at this club apparently drinks were free at the first floor and could be purchased on the second floor, the main difference being the strength of the drink. Being a college student, any free opportunity was one to take advantage of, so we all got in line for free fruity flavored drinks and wandered around the club before taking on the dance floor. It was great seeing other American students and international students having fun, singing songs, dancing, and being carefree. The atmosphere was overwhelmingly dominated by us as we were by far the rowdiest group there. The other, I presume to be primarily Taiwanese men, were much more reserved and sitting in group drinking, talking, and observing the club. Dancing with friends and mingling with new faces was fun, but I started to wonder if, since this club was fairly populated, there were other African people here, so I departed from the group looking to mingle with other people, encouraged by the few drinks I’ve had thus far. Walking up to the second floor I noticed a change in music, the DJ up here was playing playlists with more HipHop and R&B music. It was there I met a group traveling together from the Caribbean. I picked on of three guys to talk to, the one who was taller and most attractive, and he also had more to say. He told me a little about himself, how long he was here for what types of places he likes to go, and all of the sort. We bonded over the fact that we were the only group of Black people here, something that we both care much about. Being in other ethnic groups is fine but the Black community no matter where in the diaspora has a special connection that is hard to replace or miss. As the night goes on, I meet two other African American men, both of whom seemed happy to see other people of Afro-descent. Dancing and drinking with this group and my original group made for a really fun night. One of the men, a taller African American from Chicago and here on business, suggested to his other two Taiwanese friends if they wanted to go to another club down the street, “Super House ”, as the club we were just at was closing. Taking this as an opportunity to meet more people in the area I asked if I could tag along. We walk there and are met by an even bigger crowd, primarily made up of Taiwanese people but noticeably a lot more foreigners, and once again, a group of Caribbean people sticking closely together. It’s as if we attract each other, and no matter how many people are in between us we find our way to each other and turn up as if we’ve known each other for a while. We danced as if we were at a more Caribbean event ignoring the fact that the music was more pop culture than we would have liked, and I was able to make a variety of connections and new friends and made sure to get everyone’s social media and Instagram’s before eventually parting ways and going home.

Categories
Getting to Know Taiwan Social Encounters

The Perils of Traveling While Black

Taiwan has been an amazingly safe, welcoming, inclusive, and kind environment from my perspective as an American born individual foreign to the region and world traveling as a whole. I am unimaginably grateful that Taiwan was the first country I had the privilege to travel to due to its deep and inclusive history with the LGBT+ community. Not having to worry about being actively discriminated against due to my gender identity as a trans person has been a mental and physical relief. While I do have to explain to some people how I want to be percieved and discuss with them my pronouns it hasn’t been a hassle for me, and I am personally very open about those discussions. Occasionally I am also met with curiosity in regard to the trans community and how best to respect us, more questions I am always happy to answer. Typically, these dialogues happen with fellow students, friends, and peers. In regard to my day to day, I have never gotten approached or harassed with questions of my peculiar, extremely feminine apperance, despite having a body that easily encourages people to perceive me as a man. I have also not been denied any form of service or entry to any establishment I have visited and was thrilled to actually see that nearly all of the many clothing stores’ I have visited thus far had employees that were not discouraging me to shop for feminine clothes or confused by the prospect of my extremely feminine nature. The trans acceptance in Taiwan has been phenomenal whether it is from their lack of a desire to bother caring or their genuine acceptance of trans people I cannot say. However, given that trans people in America are far too often assaulted, abused, harassed, or murdered for simply existing I much prefer the former over the latter.

With all of that being said there are still a few discomforts. The main one is being stared at. a lot, whether it is out of curiosity or hostility I again cannot say, but it is most likely because I am trans or I am Black, or that I am both. My current theory is unfortunately my race and ethnicity cause more of an uproar, whether negative or “positive” then my gender identity here in Taichung. While Taipei apparently has a larger Caribbean presence, Taichung is extremely lacking in people of afro descent thus causing a lack of representation and potential discomfort for those who are here. While the discomfort generally lies in deep, sometimes mildly aggressive staring, I have had the misfortune of enduring acts that fall more towards the realm of micro aggressive behavior. Being an African American with thick, kinky, 4c hair, and often sporting an afro or another unique African hairstyle, I am often given attention, but sometimes it is unwanted. Seeing my hair and admiring it, wanting to compliment me, and potentially asking me about my hairstyle in a respectful manner are all acts that I can appreciate. Thinking my hair is an interesting and unique toy or object to touch and grab is something I strongly hate and condemn people for doing. On multiple occasion while clubbing I was forced to endure a variety of primarily Taiwanese men, but some women, touch, grope, and play with my hair without my permission. Not only does it feel invasive and disrespectful, but it also evokes the idea for me that to them I am an object or a pet to be played with. The unwillingness to even ask and assume they had the right to invade my personal space was beyond disrespectful, however being that I was in a club environment it was hard to defend myself and tell them out over the insanely loud music and crowds of people.

Being Black and trans in this world requires me to be extremely vigilant of my surroundings, be mentally prepared for the possibility of me being disrespected due to my racial or gender identity and be physically ready to defend myself from those who may try to harm or assault me. Traveling to Taiwan is a decision I do not regret, and it definitely has proven to be a very safe environment in comparison to numerous places in America I have both visited and lived in. However, that does not mean travelers like me will not experience acts of discrimination or racism. While typically they were not aggressive, hostile, or physical, they were still extremely inappropriate and invasive. Even the vicious and sometime malicious stares that make you think they are questioning your entire existence can be mentally and emotionally draining. I do not write this as a means to deter or discourage other people of my community to travel to Taiwan. I do so in order to educate them about the reality of traveling while Black, or in my case trans and Black. It can often be frustrating but knowing what you’re getting into can allow you to do more physical or mental preparations. Ultimately, this experience has been an amazing trip of a lifetime but the struggle I have endured is real and will continue to be present as I continue my dream of traveling all over the world.

Categories
Trekking around Taiwan

Hiking at Dakeng

My alarm rings. I shoot up out of my sleep to check the clock. It’s now Sunday, June 12th, the morning after my night of clubbing. Having come home at 6am I should have been exhausted, but I committed to following through with my plan for today: going on a hike at the infamous Dakeng hiking trails with my friend Michelle. Dakeng is one of Taichung’s best hiking areas for people to explore given its massive nature and fairly close proximity to the city. Boasting 10 trails, one through four, and six through ten being the easiest, Dakeng offers a plethora of trails for hikers of all experience levels making it either a pleasurable first experience for beginner hikers such as myself or a proving ground for hardened veteran hikers who wish to be challenged by nature’s might. The largest appeal for hiking at Dakeng for me was the new experience of being on a mountainous region. Being from Florida, mountains, hills, even relatively large slopes are foreign to us and the prospect of being in a high-altitude region overlooking the city makes for fantastic views and wonderful pictures. The new experience is what drove me to force myself out of bed and get ready for my hike despite my exhaustion and lingering hang over. Fortunately for me, everyone was running late today so I had a few more hours of recuperation and preparation. By 2pm my friend Michelle and her two friends I have yet to meet, Fan Luli and Zhong Yun, Taiwanese soldiers (and potentially partners) picked me up from my hotel and we embarked on our journey towards Dakeng.

A mild 30-minute drive later we reached the base of the mountainous region and started driving up the hill. Considering this was Luli’s first time driving up a mountain she did a great job; however, we were all a bit nervous. Eventually, we got lost, but it’s not about the destination it’s about the memories made along the way. After eventually finding a suitable place to park we sought out our desired trail: trail number 7. We started at the top of the trail and had to hike all the way down, then go all the way back up. I did my best to keep up with the pace of the group but by the halfway point on our journey down I was drenched in sweat. Focusing on my breathing and make sure I bend my knees at steep-ish drops, I tried my best to maintain pace without having to force the group to take a rest break.

Finally, we made it all the way down trail 7 embracing our victory only to quickly remember that the easiest part had just passed. The real challenge: hiking uphill, was our next objective. At first, I thought the climb uphill might not be too awful, but I was quickly humbled by Dakeng. The exhaustion coupled with the violent heat was destroying my body. At the midway point we celebrated with cute victory pictures and admired the view of Taichung city from such a high altitude. At about 75% up the trail, I was breathing super heavily but I was determined to finish. By about 90% up the hill, I knew I just needed to hang on just a little longer, but I had to make us rest. Eventually we were finally at the last stretch, and I overcame my exhaustion to finish the trail. Overjoyed, we finally rested for a while enjoying the shade and a pleasant surprise from a food vendor: free red bean buns.

 

Finishing our trip off with a drive to the Feng Chia night market for some food and a massive bowl of ice cream, we continued our post hike celebration. Despite the major language barrier between me and Michelle’s friends, I had one of the best times with them. Not only did they ensure to make me feel comfortable and taken care of on our adventure, but they also treated me to a watermelon drink and taught me some more Taiwanese phrases. One important takeaway from traveling overbroad is that language barriers should not stop anyone from making meaningful connections and friendships. Our efforts to relate with one another, have patience when confusion arose, and have understanding in regard to linguistic confusion significantly aided in our ability to quickly get along.