It was , and I thought that I was there to study Peronism. Moreover, as a dark-skinned woman with definitive African features and hair texture, I did not necessarily realize that I looked Brazilian, Colombian, and Dominican, and that by virtue of my skin tone and gender, many Argentines would assume that I too was prostitute from one of those countries, and there was nothing that I could do to stop that perception.
My large book bag did not challenge their assumptions. I tried to wear looser clothes. At one point, I started wearing an Islamic style hijab. Of course, I had my regular tourist and student moments like the rest of the people I studied abroad with. We all marveled at the beautiful architecture in Palermo Viejo. We enjoyed phenomenal operas at the Teatro Colon. I enjoyed watching and dancing the tango in La Boca. Moreover, my courses such as the Social Imagery of Peronism at the Universidad de Buenos Aires were intellectually engaging and enriching.
But my white, female study abroad mates did not experience constant sexual propositions, and unlike me, they were always regarded as American tourists. They were always in disbelief that I was not Latina. He told me that when he thinks of an American girl he thinks of a slightly overweight blond woman β not me, a slim, dark-skinned black woman with braids. The bias there was so great that even a Nigerian man in Buenos Aires assumed I was a prostitute. My experience was radically different from most of my study abroad mates.
They immersed themselves in Buenos Aires life by dating Argentines and spending the entire semester in Buenos Aires. On the other hand, I was so burdened by the threat of racialized sexual interest that I resisted any and all advances from white Argentine men. In a city of very few black people, I wound up dating an Afro-Uruguayan medical student named Jorge. I also traveled back to the states for Easter break and savored every moment of being back in New York.
I would have gone home more if money were no object. Am I still grateful for the travel experience? My host mother Carmen and host brother Tito were wonderful and showed me all the kindness and love a student could ask for.
