proteanmix
Plumage and Moult
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2007
- Messages
- 5,514
- Enneagram
- 1w2
I want to write a recap of my vacation but it's hard gathering my thoughts enough (and having the patience) to sit and write stuff down.
Overall, it was excellent. I truly enjoyed myself and I'd definitely go back again. It was the offseason and not crowded. I had a whole section of a beautiful beach to myself (all the better if you're self-conscious about being in a bathing suit!!). There was so much stuff I wanted to do like hangliding, parasailing, dune buggying but I didn't have that stuff is expensive. If I go back next year I'll do better planning so I can have the money to do what I want to do.
I learned A LOT about myself during my trip like how poor of a planner I am, compulsive and unnecessary spending and bourgie (I already knew that...that's just fun!). I used the excuse I'm on vacation but that was just an excuse. I'm proud of myself as well because I thought it would be harder to go on vacation alone. It was pretty hard it felt liberating and lonely all at the same time. I mostly saw families but there were many couples and then just me.
It's funny how quickly you acclimate yourself to things. I'm used to being one of a few black people at work but I always know when I leave work I live in a place that's mostly black and I'm not really alone. OBX is complete white out. I saw less than 10 black people (or even other people of color!) in 6 days time. And then I had some anxieties about being in the South (although I technically am in the South but I really don't think it is). I saw so many confederate flags it was ridiculous! When I saw them I was like "Oh, that's curious." It was weird. I see Confederate flags in southern MD but I don't go to those places.
So when I was talking with my friend about this, we were saying how we're going to write a book called Traveling while Black. She's very global and travels internationally about once a year. She says that in the travel guides she looks at (well Frommers and the other popular one) they have sections about gay travelers and Asian travelers, senior travelers, and single female travelers and she noticed there wasn't anything about black travelers. I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday and looked at two travel guides for Germany and Italy and she was right! I saw those sections but I didn't see anything for black travelers!
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/germany/0224020004.html
Absolutely nothing. I'd think that black people traveling internationally probably want to know if there are certain areas of a country or city where black people aren't welcome. I kinda felt like that in OBX in certain places, like there was some de facto and unspoken rules about where I could and couldn't go but not knowing.
I guess it's good and bad, I don't know if I was being too self-conscious and nobody gave a rat's ass about me or not. I talked about it with my friend and she says she's felt the same way. Feeling like you're being stared at and ignored at the same time.
OK, I'm tired of writing now. I may write more later.
Overall, it was excellent. I truly enjoyed myself and I'd definitely go back again. It was the offseason and not crowded. I had a whole section of a beautiful beach to myself (all the better if you're self-conscious about being in a bathing suit!!). There was so much stuff I wanted to do like hangliding, parasailing, dune buggying but I didn't have that stuff is expensive. If I go back next year I'll do better planning so I can have the money to do what I want to do.
I learned A LOT about myself during my trip like how poor of a planner I am, compulsive and unnecessary spending and bourgie (I already knew that...that's just fun!). I used the excuse I'm on vacation but that was just an excuse. I'm proud of myself as well because I thought it would be harder to go on vacation alone. It was pretty hard it felt liberating and lonely all at the same time. I mostly saw families but there were many couples and then just me.
It's funny how quickly you acclimate yourself to things. I'm used to being one of a few black people at work but I always know when I leave work I live in a place that's mostly black and I'm not really alone. OBX is complete white out. I saw less than 10 black people (or even other people of color!) in 6 days time. And then I had some anxieties about being in the South (although I technically am in the South but I really don't think it is). I saw so many confederate flags it was ridiculous! When I saw them I was like "Oh, that's curious." It was weird. I see Confederate flags in southern MD but I don't go to those places.
So when I was talking with my friend about this, we were saying how we're going to write a book called Traveling while Black. She's very global and travels internationally about once a year. She says that in the travel guides she looks at (well Frommers and the other popular one) they have sections about gay travelers and Asian travelers, senior travelers, and single female travelers and she noticed there wasn't anything about black travelers. I went to Barnes & Noble yesterday and looked at two travel guides for Germany and Italy and she was right! I saw those sections but I didn't see anything for black travelers!
http://www.frommers.com/destinations/germany/0224020004.html
Absolutely nothing. I'd think that black people traveling internationally probably want to know if there are certain areas of a country or city where black people aren't welcome. I kinda felt like that in OBX in certain places, like there was some de facto and unspoken rules about where I could and couldn't go but not knowing.
I guess it's good and bad, I don't know if I was being too self-conscious and nobody gave a rat's ass about me or not. I talked about it with my friend and she says she's felt the same way. Feeling like you're being stared at and ignored at the same time.
OK, I'm tired of writing now. I may write more later.
