So I just had another John Mulaney-moment today. For starters, I'm half-Mexican and half-Bolivian (so yeah, genetically I suppose I'm mostly the same thing lol: a little bit European and a little bit Native). Ever since I was born I have been mistaken for being Asian-American. Just right out my mother's womb, when I was aproximately 1 year old, my mother was almost framed as a kidnapper when she took me away from the arms of her Korean friend. The same thing happened two years after that when I was being held by a Korean air hostess. I can't blame them though, my face was basically a dumpling and my black hair (plus bangs and ponytails) and white skin didn't help. Fast-forward to 5th grade and when I moved schools guess who they decided was going to be my "buddy" and show me around? Why a Korean girl of course! (This could've been a coincidence though, but still it's an amazing coincidence lol) I should note that this marked the first time I actually lived (and was aware of it) in Latin-America, and until then I never saw myself as a Latina. Fast-forward through many more similar scenarios and we get to today, when five hours earlier I got mistaken for being a Chinese exchange student for the second time in the country where I am presently living; Brazil. I shit you not, it's the literal first time I step foot in the college cafeteria and as I go to pick up my change from a lunch-lady, she and her friend decide to bow in unison to me. Again, as John Mulaney said "not only was that some racist-ass bullshit, but incredibly well co-ordinated!" So props to them lol Now to be clear I don't take offense to being mistaken for being Asian, just as I wouldn't take offense being mistaken for any other race. I'm simply wondering if any other Latinos have gone through similar experiences of being perceived as some other ethnicity or not looking "Latino enough".
TLDR: Today two Brazilian lunch-ladies bowed to me and said "Nihao" while I went to retrieve my change. I am not remotely Chinese.