One of the great advantages of going to an international university like UBC is the amazing degree of ethnic diversity. You can meet someone from Mexico City while waiting in line at 99 Chairs, head off to meet your half Senegalese, half French friend at Irving, and then attend a tutorial beside your Chinese partner. There are so many people from so many places, it’s impossible to know what their lives back at home are like, as well as distinct aspects of their culture. This leads us all to the common mistake of stereotyping. I have done it myself, and have also faced being stereotyped as a Brazilian foreign student. I have been asked questions which I was willing to answer, but have also faced comments that make me want to laugh.

Apart from getting awkward glances towards my butt when I walk away (Editor’s note: Brazilian women are not singled out for this) and being asked if I have to wear a bullet-proof vest when I walk around back home, the most interesting experience I have encountered was during my first year at Totem Park. I was playing pool with my friends on a Friday night, the drunken cries of my fellow Totemees outside our evening’s soundtrack. A fellow came up to me and introduced himself with a handshake, which was awkward to me since introductions are paired with hugs and kisses on the cheeks in Brazil. We inevitably got into the “where are you from” domain quickly. After saying I was from Brazil, I got the same question I get 9 out of 10 times; “How is your English so perfect?” Given that most Latin-American international students at UBC come from American, British, or international schools which they have been in since grade school, it surprises me that people are still amazed by my clear English. Many of us learn English since the age of five, together with our mother tongue.

So, after explaining just that, he asked me a question that made my jaw drop and my pool stick slam onto the table, “Do you live in the Amazon?” I assure you, the curiosity in his face gave away the fact that he was dead serious. I couldn’t contain myself, I had never considered the possibility of having to answer that question before. “Yes” I lied, “I live in the Amazon. It sucks because I had to ride a canoe to school sometimes when the river rose too high, you know?” I think his jaw dropped a little further than mine had before and he was rendered speechless. I was scared I would burst out laughing so I just had to walk away from him. I never saw him again.

Perhaps that was a bit mean…We international students should be tolerant towards erroneous views of our country, and attempt to clarify any doubts while explaining what life consists of in the place we are from. People can lose common misconceptions and gain a better understanding of our nations this way. International students, apart from having to deal with a new culture, have to keep in mind that wanting to or not they are a representative of the country they are from. When you’re in a bad mood with nothing else to do on a Friday night other than play pool, you can’t help but be an asshole just to get yourself some form of entertainment.