Anonymity and where's Whitey?

One thing I'm looking forward to in Europe is anonymity. Simply being able to walk down the street and blend in with the crowd. I feel at home here now, but on my weekly shopping trip I still get kids calling after me in town because they aren't that used to seeing white people.

During one of our last visits to France I went into Paris on the train. I thought that after living in a small African village I might feel intimidated by the crowds, but on the contrary, the lack of any attention paid to me at all was refreshing!

Overall I think it is great for our kids to grow up here, but I do hate it that we only have to walk out of our front gate for them to be pointed at. In our (large) village they are known, and have some very good friends, but with others they have a kind of celebrity status, so we hear people calling their names wherever they go. It probably bothers me more than it bothers them, as they have never known any different, and it isn't as if there is any hostility. It's pure curiosity with a complete lack of empathy, even from adults.

Spot the white family at a wedding last year (my own version of Where's Wally?)