Infrequent Nights

I call it the foreigner nod. I get it from other foreigners as they walk past on the street. Not all foreigners give it. I’d say slightly fewer than half of those who notice me show their recognition. Guys give the nod, girls give a slight smile. While I’ve lived in quite a few places, Taipei is the first place I’ve lived as a visible minority. I’m curious as to whether or not this ritual is practiced elsewhere, and if so to what extent? Do Chinese students in Canada nod to each other as they pass on the street? Do the Japanese in Europe show their solidarity with one another as their tour buses pass?

I don’t give the nod, unless it is given to me first. I find it awkward nodding at people just because both they and I are foreign here. Why should I nod? I don’t go around randomly nodding at people when I’m elsewhere, why should I start here? Furthermore I think the expat community needs no more solidarity than it has. The majority of foreigners I’ve met live in an insular world, socializing with other foreigners and patronizing foreign owned businesses. I’d say the main conduit for integration is via foreign males dating Taiwanese females. I’d also say that “Conduit for Integration Needed” would make a good personal ad title.

While I have no problem with those who give the nod acknowledging the likenesses between their situations and my own, I urge them to not limit the way they perceive identity. It will lead, in the long term, to a more intricate appreciation for those around them, and possibly to better relations all around. Who knows, they might end up walking around nodding to betel nut chewing taxi drivers.