I think I have the travel bug. It's the best bug to get. I was daydreaming about locations as usual and after I'm done planning and paying for one holiday I'm onto thinking about where next.
Today I mentally vacationed to Egypt and Dubai. From the UK Egypt is very popular so I know I can get better bang for my buck going to Egypt than Dubai, plus there are a few things I can knock off my bucket list by going to Egypt.
I ventured to the travel agent on my lunch break and just as I thought eerily quiet. 4 members of staff, staff on the bureau and one customer in the shop who was seated with a travel representative. The Egypt brochures caught my eye right by the door, and I'm standing there flicking through them looking genuinely interested about finding the perfect holiday. I've been in there for about 5 minutes, in this whole time nobody comes in. Then in pops an older white lady and she looking at the brochures in the same area as me, in fact Egypt was what she was interested too. She never motioned for assistance but in less than 30 seconds up pops a young white male rep [which seemed from literally no where] asking her if she needed help and waited on her hand and foot for the full 2 minutes she was in there.
I could and I couldn't believe it at the same time. Here I am standing there with money to spend looking to take a holiday with your company and I get bumped for the white lady. I guess it's only white people that have money to spend and I as a black woman am picking up brochures to cut out the pictures and just dream about where I want to go. I am blatantly looking in their direction and even after the woman has left I am not even acknowledged. If there were 3 or 4 people I could say genuine mistake. When I was the only one in there standing and browsing and blatantly ignored you start to get a real sense of "it's the blackness isn't it?" I'm sure the brothas have had it when driving nice cars, even buying them. The sistahs in the expensive department stores making a purchase and sometimes yes in cash what wasn't earned from their boo's drug running and other illegal activities.
As a black woman living in London or Europe [if you want to call it that] instances like these are not rare. You know when it's a common mistake or when people see colour before anything else.
Today I mentally vacationed to Egypt and Dubai. From the UK Egypt is very popular so I know I can get better bang for my buck going to Egypt than Dubai, plus there are a few things I can knock off my bucket list by going to Egypt.
I ventured to the travel agent on my lunch break and just as I thought eerily quiet. 4 members of staff, staff on the bureau and one customer in the shop who was seated with a travel representative. The Egypt brochures caught my eye right by the door, and I'm standing there flicking through them looking genuinely interested about finding the perfect holiday. I've been in there for about 5 minutes, in this whole time nobody comes in. Then in pops an older white lady and she looking at the brochures in the same area as me, in fact Egypt was what she was interested too. She never motioned for assistance but in less than 30 seconds up pops a young white male rep [which seemed from literally no where] asking her if she needed help and waited on her hand and foot for the full 2 minutes she was in there.
I could and I couldn't believe it at the same time. Here I am standing there with money to spend looking to take a holiday with your company and I get bumped for the white lady. I guess it's only white people that have money to spend and I as a black woman am picking up brochures to cut out the pictures and just dream about where I want to go. I am blatantly looking in their direction and even after the woman has left I am not even acknowledged. If there were 3 or 4 people I could say genuine mistake. When I was the only one in there standing and browsing and blatantly ignored you start to get a real sense of "it's the blackness isn't it?" I'm sure the brothas have had it when driving nice cars, even buying them. The sistahs in the expensive department stores making a purchase and sometimes yes in cash what wasn't earned from their boo's drug running and other illegal activities.
As a black woman living in London or Europe [if you want to call it that] instances like these are not rare. You know when it's a common mistake or when people see colour before anything else.
I could be wrong about my lunchtime outing but I hardly doubt it. I've said it to some people before, no matter what you do and where you go in the world, what you achieve and how much money you have, some people just look at you and think nigger, coon, uneducated, broke, illiterate and a whole lot of everything else negative that they think comes along with being black.
Not to worry. I'll be booking my trip independently and they can literally kiss my black ass. I don't pander to other races to seek approval, but I do appreciate a little respect and assistance especially when it's a part of your job description.
I would reported that shiit...I would have left them something to think about before I left. In this day and age we should not let people get away with that sort of behaviour. Next time call em out on it!
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