Ni Hao Ma.

"Ni Hao Ni Hao"

Turkish men as they pass me.
Blatantly trying to flirt with me.
But.

I am not Chinese.

"NI HAO MA!"

Burger King cashier, yells this greeting to me.
Jarring, Embarrassing, Eyes wide open.
I Nervously giggle.
Quietly..."I am not chinese"

"Ni hao ma"

confused stares from me to her.
"are you English?"
"O yes, yes I'm English"
"O, I thought you were Chinese"
This was Berlin's immigration office.

I am not Chinese.
I am Korean.

One of the more striking things I noticed about Berlin is the lack of cultural sensitivity towards those with Asian descent. This blog is not a post for me to rant and rave about rude berliners because, first of all, they are not. Berliners are in fact very considerate and many have taken the time to help me around in this city. However, in the past week, experience and observation has made me realize that Germany has a long ways to go in terms of embracing, acknowledging, and being sensitive towards cultural diversity.

I cannot be angry at those who greet me with "ni hao ma" and then look at me with satisfaction, like they had just cracked some kind of difficult puzzle, when they had not been raised in an environment where difference is all around you.

Germany is not a country of immigrants. The lack of cultural sensitivity seems to come from cultural ignorance rather than just being rude.

Well then. If Germany has yet to handle or is just starting to confront the influx of foreign faces, what does the meaning of globalization mean to Berliners?

Also on a funny note. Why is it "ni hao ma" when the largest asian immigrant population seems to be Vietnamese?