While I was in Maceio, I had some interesting experiences when it came to race. Brazil is a country that has a lot of mixture between American Indians, Africans, and Europeans, so most people there aren't of one clear race. However, even with all this mixing there is still some prejudice against darker skin colors. I was hanging out with two of Jonny's friends when I mentioned that I thought they were both a really pretty color. The girls were shocked that I thought they were pretty since I was white and they were a darker color. The next day, I was sitting on a bench next to the beach waiting for Jonny to come back when a guy came by selling toys. We started talking and I told him I was just working on my tan a little while I waited for my brother. He told me that I was already getting too dark and that I should try to stay out of the sun so that I could go back to being whiter. It really surprised me that color is still a big deal to people in Brazil, especially with all the mixture there, but it gave me a better understanding of the discrimination that people with darker skin must face on a frequent basis.
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