Are You African American?

SO...........before departing for South Africa I had mounting anxieties about exactly how the Post-Apartheid racial divisions would impact me being an African American woman that is a minority in the U.S. I was told that my race would not matter, because my nationality as an American would overshadow everything. I was told that I would be assumed to be African until I opened my mouth and my accent gave me away, but then I would be embraced by the South African people. THREE WEEKS LATER AND ABOUT FOUR REALITY CHECKS OVERDUE! I have experienced all of the above mentioned and a lot more! I have received much positive attention from the men of South Africa and have been labeled as "exotic" by most of them. I have had interactions with some South Africans that have told me that I could never be mistaken as a South African that my body language and my appearance give me away. Of course these type of statements raise questions such as WHY? and WHY NOT? And unfortunately most of my questions were met with a " I don't know, you just don't" I am not bothered so much by it, I just embraced my differences. I can say that I find it interesting that the perception of African American people as a whole is based on what South African people see on television. I have been told that shows such as Judge Joe Mathis, Housewives of Atlanta and Glee are the sole representation of African American people and our culture. While I am just as saddened as I am interested in this fact, I took this lack of knowledge of my people as an opportunity, I know that I am only one person and that I do not embody all that is an African American in my being, but I made sure that I represented myself well while here.