Unwelcomed Privilege

ICRISAT, Patancheru, Andhra Pradesh, India 01.14.11

My internal clock adjusted rather quickly, though not as quickly as when I had gone to Delhi. The extra hours in travel (23 hours total) were enough to set me off-kilter for one day. I am staying at the ICRISAT headquarters located at Andra Pradesh, India, about 32 km out of Hyderabad. If you're curious about what ICRISAT is about, and it does have a very noble mission, check their web site out:  http://www.icrisat.org/icrisat-globalpresence.htm

Ali & I call Patancheru a "village", although it's larger than a lot of "cities" back in Minnesota. Here's Wikipedia's description of Patancheru:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patancheru

On Friday, Ali, Oliver, and I took an auto-rickshaw ride into Andra Pradesh to stock up on diapers and other groceries. While standing in line, we experienced what Ali referred to as "white privilege", something that made us very uncomfortable. We were singled out and directed to another register that they opened just for us, so we wouldn't have to stand in line. Yes, to say it made me (us) uncomfortable is an understatement. Because of the color of our skin, we were treated differently - and I did not like it at all. I was more than happy to wait my turn in line like everyone else. Next time, I will refuse that preferential treatment - it's just not right.