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raven-at-the-writing-desk · 3 years

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Letter 31: 🗝🎭 Welcome to our Night Raven College. 🎭🗝

A letter arrives in the mail. It comes in a study envelope closed off with a wax seal. A mask of with a pointed nose was set into the seal. Breaking the envelope open, you find a paper bearing a letterhead with the Night Raven College crest. The sender’s handwriting is deceptive—beautiful cursive spouting out whimsical nonsense.

Enclosed with letter is an ornate, golden key. Your reflection bounces off of its hypnotizing, lusterous surface. It is definitely you that looks back, but with eyes that are older, wiser, stronger. Proof of overcoming many trials and tribulations here in Twisted Wonderland.

Prefect-kun!

Happy NRC Anniversary~ I’m certain you’ve heard about the holiday from your esteemed professors! This time of year is very special, you see! It is when students and staff come together to celebrate the founding of this oh-so important institution for the great magicians of the future. Ah, and now our student body includes you and Grim-kun as well!

I do hope you join the festivities. Take after this crow—eat, drink, and be merry!

It is difficult to believe that you have been with us for so long already. To this day, I still remember the shock and confusion of the opening ceremonies...! Especially when Grim-kun set the Mirror Chamber (and the son of one of NRC’s biggest donors) on fire!! Thank goodness for Rosehearts-kun and Ashengrotto-kun for quelling him and minimizing the damage to that sacred space!

Because of that incident, I cast Grim-kun out, believing him to be nothing more a troublemaker. What a troublesome beast he was! He kept returning, determined to claim a seat in our prestigious classrooms while this oh-so kind crow was attempting to find a way home for you. I was wrong. No—Trappola-kun and Spade-kun are just as big of troublemakers as Grim-kun is!

First, the statues of the Great Seven were damaged, and then an antique chandelier, demolished!! I was fuming—I immediately sought to expel you hooligans, But because I am so very kind, I granted you a chance to redeem yourselves. Truth be told, I expected your rag-tag group to give up, or to be consumed by the caverns. Imagine my surprise when you not only returned alive and well, but with the promised magical crystals. The expulsion papers I had started to file out were no longer needed.

In that moment, I saw great potential in you—potential to be a great tamer of beasts. True, you may be a magicless human, but there must be a reason the Mirror of Darkness chose you, a reason why the carriage summoned you.

I allowed you and Grim-kun to attend as students. I even granted you a place to call home, provided uniforms for your backs, and food with which to fill your stomachs! And let’s not forget gifting the Ghost Camera for catching your precious memories here at NRC! (I know, I know!! No need to praise my generosity.)

Consider it an investment for the future—the world, and Night Raven College, needs someone like you. Someone who can bring people together, and forge friendships. It is something that this school has always been lacking. Perhaps the Mirror sensed that and brought you here to remedy it.

It proved to be a wise investment indeed. Roseheart-kun’s anger was quelled, and Kingscholar-kun’s insidious plot, uncovered. Ashengrotto-kun’s financial vicegrip has loosened, and the various students under contracts freed. Viper-kun’s coup was halted. Schoenheit-kun’s beauty was restored—and though we lost to RSA (again) this year...that is the closest to victory we have ever gotten. It is proof of our progress, proof of your positive influence.

During my winter break vacation extensive research into finding you a route home, I have been thinking of my dear students and reflecting on my role in their lives. Each and every one of them holds so much potential—not only in their magical ability, but in their indicidual, non-magical skillsets. They are the leaders of tomorrow. They will go out into the world and make Twisted Wonderland a better place. As headmaster, it is my duty to guide them on their journey so that they may become splendid young men!!

The same goes for you and Grim-kun. During your time here, you have become an integral part of the Night Raven College community. As such!! It is only reasonable to take you under my wing as well.

You have remained with us through many trials and tribulations, like a loyal member of a family. For every fun event—Halloween, Beans Day, the Star Sending—there was a perilous one that spelled almost certain doom. Shroud-kun was nearly married off to a ghost!! NRC’s weather was sent into complete chaos! All the Overblot incidents... Yet the light in your eyes never seemed to dim.

What you have is something special, Prefect-kun. Hope? Determination? Whatever the label you give it, it is what has allowed you to survive thus far in this twisted world of ours. It is the key that will open the door to the future. Of this, I am absolutely certain.

... Perhaps this is long since overdue, but better late than never!

We are overjoyed to have you here with us—and we hope you enjoy your stay.

Welcome to our Night Raven College, Prefect-kun.

Sincerely,

🎭 Dire Crowley 🎭

Night Raven College Headmaster

P.S. Please do stop pestering me every other day about any progress I have made into my research!! Your beloved headmaster is quite busy, and these things take time! I will update you when I have made any major discoveries~

#twst anni #twisted wonderland anni #Dire Crowley #twst #twisted wonderland #disney twisted wonderland #spoilers #magic mystery letters #twisted wonderland anniversary #twst anniversary

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homenum-revelio-hq · 5 years

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Welcome to the Order of the Phoenix, Bee!

You have been accepted for the role of MARLENE MCKINNON! I really enjoyed reading your application! I particularly like the way you incorporated the family farm and the winged horses throughout! It’s so important to Marlene’s character where she came from. I am so excited to have you as part of this roleplay!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours!Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Bee

AGE: 21

TIMEZONE: EST

ACTIVITY LEVEL: I’m a college student, so my activity tends to revolve around my schedule, though I tend to be online at some point every day (unless there’s a big paper to write or a project or a test or something the next day, in which case maybe not… but still probably because I am a disaster). If I had to give it a number? 7.5, 8.

ANYTHING ELSE: HELLO AGAIN

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Marlene Elspeth McKinnon

AGE: 24

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis Female, She/Her… as for sexuality, Marlene really couldn’t give a shit less what people decided to call what her sexuality is. Love happens, life happens, and she isn’t going to limit the possibilities by slapping a label on herself. That, and she’s not exactly certain how her parents would react to their only daughter being anything BUT straight, and she isn’t in a rush to find out. But if I, the writer of this app, had to label Marlene’s sexuality, she’d be pansexual.

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Ravenclaw

ANY CHANGES: Nope.

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Marlene was raised with expectations, and those expectations molded her personality in more ways than she’d care to admit.

What was expected of her as a kid was that she was to be a good little witch. That she took care of the winged horses and didn’t pull out their feathers. That she didn’t steal her older brother’s toy broom and fly it around the house like she was a seeker for the Holyhead Harpies. That she knew how to say please and thank you, and how to read all the old, beautiful, dusty books that lined the shelves in their library. That she knew what Hogwarts is, and knew what house she would inevitably get sorted into- because what was a McKinnon if not a Ravenclaw, if not being the most clever person in the room. There were rules, there were standards, there were shouldn’t’s and should’s- and Marlene simply took them all. She didn’t question it- she just was the daughter that Maeve and Malcolm McKinnon needed. She had always been a perfect little witch growing up, her dresses and cloaks in the latest fashions, her wild curls always tamed- picture perfect. That is the Marlene that her parents knew and wanted, the one that would make her grandparents proud. Perfect… and they would have expected nothing less.

They didn’t know, nor would they likely want to know (at least, in Marlene’s mind), the wildfire that roared just beneath the surface. The fire that they thought they’d put out when it had been nothing but a little spark. Friends know that Marlene leads with her heart first. You know exactly where she stands on everything because she wears her heart on her sleeve. She lives in a world where she’s genuine with those she cares about, and therefore expects that everyone is being genuine with her. She hates secrets and lies (which can bother her, especially when it comes to Order things, but that’s a whole other story…). Because she’s so set in her own mind- that what she has to say is important, is right, is good, and should be listened to, it makes other views very hard to swallow. Having someone tell her she’s wrong can send her reeling.

She’s used to being the one who knows what to do. She’s used to being the one who knows all the answers to every stupid question you could possibly ask her- not that there were any stupid questions out there, just more obvious and less obvious. She’s the smart one, the one who knows what she’s doing… right? But there’s always that seed of self doubt. The one that tells her that she’s just faking it, that she’s not good enough for what her family wants of her. She’s not the perfect daughter. No, she’s just very good at pretending. Because, if she were perfect, someone would be listening to her.

There’s a piece of Marlene that feels rather lost, more like she’s screaming into the void than anything else. Like, somehow, in all of her doing what was expected of her, she became invisible. She wants to be heard for once in her life. Rather than holding a hand over her mouth and swallowing words because of expectations. Her opinion should matter, but it doesn’t- she’s in this war too, and she’s fighting for the right side. But how come she feels like she’s somehow the enemy in all this, and why does that make her feel so guilty?

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

The McKinnons were pureblood, yes, but they weren’t old blood. There’s a difference- if you come from old blood families, you know. No, Caelan and Maeve (Marlene’s grandparents) made an investment in the flying horse ranching business, raising the finest winged equines in England, if not all of Europe. But really, what would you expect from two Ravenclaws who graduated at the top of their class. Their business became their son’s business, and after their son, their grandchildren. As it was supposed to be. As the generations would pass on, the McKinnon name would gain respect. It would prosper, with many witches and wizards filling up the family tree. But that didn’t exactly change the fact that in the eyes of the Sacred 28, the McKinnons were nothing more than New Money.

And so, as these things go in the pureblood world, Holly Shafiq and Malcolm McKinnon met at some high society function, as they were supposed to, and got married, as they were supposed to, and a whole lot of ‘supposed to’s later, Marlene came into the mix. The last ‘supposed to’, the youngest of the mix. Her mother fawned all over the little Marlene- her darling baby of the bunch- while her father always seemed a bit too busy with the winged horse business, though he did read her Tales of Beedle the Bard every night.

She was a curious and wild little girl- not exactly what her mother had expected when she envisioned her ‘darling baby’ growing up. The vision in frills and bows with perfect little curls did not last long when Marlene was about four or five. She’d sneak off when she was supposed to be taking a nap and go on epic, self made adventures. She’d go romping in mud puddles with her older siblings, she’d go visit the flying horses in their stable and kiss their big fuzzy noses and stay sitting their until someone found her and dragged her off. There was an insatiable curiosity that ran in the little girls veins. She wanted to know why brooms flew. She wanted to know the name of every single flying horse in the stable (and if they didn’t have names, could she name them?). She wanted to know what a Hogwarts was, how floo powder worked- anything and everything was a question that needed answering.

The one who really encouraged this sort of ‘question everything’ mentality was her grandfather. A pureblood who had built his own fortune from the ground up, he didn’t believe in the frills and fanciness of high society that his wife, son, and daughter-in-law were so desperate to be a part of. Why be a part of something that wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with him when he had been a poor young man with aspirations? He was the one to really teach Marlene the ways of the world- the difference between good and bad, the need to question everything, the need to be set in one’s beliefs. Caelan McKinnon was such an important figure in his granddaughter’s life, she felt she was closer to him than her actual father. He passed away before Marlene joined the Order, but she’d like to think that if he’d still been around, he would have ruffled her hair and given her a kiss on the forehead as he’d always done when he was proud of her.

Her relationship with her siblings has always been very close. As she was the youngest, they were always a little protective of her. They taught her the important things. Like how to ride a broomstick or a winged horse. Which quidditch players were the best. How not to get a disgusting flavor of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans. Where the best hiding places were on the ranch. Which flying horses were the friendliest and which would try and kick you if you got too close. When they were young, they were all practically inseparable. But time, as well as sticky situations, pull people apart. Some of her siblings don’t exactly appreciate the fact that their family’s estate has all but been filled with strangers. This puts a bit of a strain on their relationships.

OCCUPATION:

Technically speaking, the ranch is her occupation. She helps take care of the winged horses, helps with finding good owners for her winged friends, helps clean out their stalls… anything that the family business might need help with, she does. She doesn’t exactly get paid for it though- she has access to the family bank account, and money has never really been a problem in Marlene’s family. There’s always been enough for whatever she wanted or needed, and her mother made it a habit of making sure her children had literally everything they ever wanted, ever. This has put a bit of a disconnect on actual jobs for Marlene, as she’s only ever known a world where she could take a day off no questions asked, and she had everything she needed.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

The Order was Marlene’s opportunity to work with the good guys. Yes, it was under the law, which sometimes ruffled her parent’s feathers (after all, their daughter working with a bunch of radicals wasn’t necessarily the safest thing for her or for their family). But they didn’t disagree with her motives. Voldemort and his pure-blooded societal fantasies were wrong. Magic was magic. Killing and hating people for who they’re related to was something that needed to be stopped. Yes, the McKinnons were purebloods, but they weren’t those sort of purebloods. Her siblings were a little bit more in line with where Marlene stood- fighting back to protect the innocent was a lot better than doing nothing. Her parents were less actively involved, offering Marlene whatever she might need. Eventually, what she needed became their estate to hide targets of the Death Eaters.

The Dissendium Task Force offered her a place to help protect people who really needed it, whilst working with some of her closest friends. She’d been so excited to work with Lily and Remus, Emmeline- they all were so dedicated to fighting back by helping those who needed protection and hiding. Everything started with the best intentions. But the number of targets began to increase the longer and worse the war became, and Lily’s motivation became less of helping targets- the people who really, truly needed to escape, lest they be killed- and more of helping muggleborns. It drove her crazy. She felt bad about it, sure, but she couldn’t house every muggleborn in the whole of Britain and expect that Voldemort and the Death Eaters wouldn’t catch on and come and kill them all. It wasn’t logical. It was putting her, her family, and every single one of the poor people who were hiding at the McKinnon Estate at a ridiculous amount of risk. Not to mention the werewolf population living in the woods off the estate. The worry from the whole situation was enough to make Marlene sick. If they got caught by Death Eaters, they were dead. By the Order, they’d likely be thrown into Azkaban. And the more people she was asked to hide, the more likely it was that the whole operation could blow up in their faces.

SURVIVAL:

This is something Marlene is growing increasingly worried about. At the start of the Dissendium Task Force, she felt relatively safe. Sure, it was risky to smuggle Death Eater targets out of the country for their own safety. But hiding one or two people at a time was a MUCH different situation from hiding several people, not all of whom are targets, plus werewolves, all on her family estate. It’s almost like holding a giant, flashing sign that reads ‘We’re here! Come kill us!’. She’s survived by being stealthy and by being a pureblood- no one’s going to expect the new money pureblood family of jeopardizing their social position. But she’s sure that it’s suspicious to the pureblood families who were donning the eerie masks of the Death Eaters as to why the McKinnons hadn’t joined their ranks yet. She wonders if she’ll even survive the year at the rate the Task Force is going. She keeps looking over her shoulder and wondering when the day is going to come where she’s the next name rattled off on a Missing or Dead list.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Once upon a time, Marlene had seen Lily Evans as the little sister she’d wanted but hadn’t gotten. She’d grown fond of the younger Gryffindor through her time at Hogwarts, and had thought the world of her. When the Dissendium Task Force was started, she was thrilled to be working so closely with someone she cared about so much. And at first, things were great. They worked so well together, and both believed so strongly in taking targets, making them feel safe and secure, and getting them to safety. It was important- not everyone could fight to protect themselves in the war. But as the war has gotten worse and the Death Eaters get more power, Lily has seemed to veer off in a new direction: save every single muggleborn in Britain, regardless of the consequences. Marlene has tried speaking up, talking reason on how trying to save people who weren’t targets along with actual targets put everyone at risk. But no one seems interested in listening to Marlene, even though it’s about their safety. It’s her home, and it feels like her opinion on the safety of the people inside of it (stranger, friend, or family) means absolutely in the eyes of someone she once called one of her best friends.

Poor Remus has ended up hearing the brunt of her screams into the void and grumbles over the whole situation. She’s grateful that he’s on the task force- he knows how to talk to werewolves, and he knows how to deal with Lily when Marlene just can’t. He’s also great at dealing with the half-breed population, and always seems to know just what to say to them. He’s made her life a little bit easier in these strained times. A piece of her feels bad that the half-breeds need to live out in the woods, but a bigger piece of her knows that it is way too much of a risk to have a bunch of werewolves in the house. Besides, her parents wouldn’t dream of having those sort of ‘people’ in the house.

The only person who really seems to be listening to Marlene is Emmeline, and Marlene is definitely listening and watching Emmeline. The witch deserves more credit where credit is due. She’s more than just a healer, which is unfortunately what she’s being treated like. She’s intelligent, she’s talented, she listens to others. Marlene doesn’t feel invisible when Emmeline is around because she knows that Emmeline actually cares about what Marlene has to say about the task force.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

I will always ship chemistry. There’s no real anti-ship here. Where there is chemistry, there is the possibility for amazing threads. THIS GOES FOR RELATIONSHIPS OF THE PLATONIC AND ROMANTIC KIND.

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Marlene lives in a world of privilege. She grew up in a pureblood household where she’s wanted for nothing. She doesn’t know a world where people look down on you- not really. She’s experienced people looking down on her for being new money. She’s only ever gotten a glimpse of what it feels like to be in a muggleborn’s shoes, and that was in the muggle world. In the muggle world, she’s a woman of color, and she’s not exactly ‘straight’, so she’s discriminated against. It put knots in her stomach the first time she experienced it, and she wasn’t exactly sure why until she realized that that was what it must be like for Lily and other muggleborns in the wizarding world.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO?

You’re group looks absolutely amazing, also, you’re amazing (thank you for talking to me and letting me reapply <3) I really want to write, and this group reminds me so much of old tumblr rpgs, which I miss terribly, so I’m really excited for this!

PLOT DROP IDEAS:

Marlene finding out about Remus being a werewolf is a possibility? Losing a muggleborn or a target the task force was supposed to be protecting? Something happening to one of Marlene’s siblings (also, I’d love to have some actual Marlene siblings if that was okay? IDK if that would be a possibility, but if it is, that’d be cool.

ANYTHING ELSE? DOBBY’S SOCK! … Have a nice day lovely admin.

#homenumaccepted #marauders era rp #harry potter rp #harry potter roleplay #hp rp

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spanlish-blog · 7 years

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White Privilege as a Western Student in China

When some friends of mine came back from an exchange program in Beijing, each with a wad of $1,200 in cash they'd received from the Chinese government, my response was, "Um, what?"

The cash was their scholarship money, given to them in crisp 100 yuan bills after class one day.

Turns out you don't need a 4.0—or even a 2.5—to get that kind of money. After interviewing several more exchange students about their experiences in China, I learned that even if your grades are "shit," you might still be offered a scholarship, free accommodation, and a monthly allowance to study in the Middle Kingdom.

You may also get free booze, free entry into clubs, and professors who won't care if you skip class or use your phone during an exam. These are tough things to resist when you're a broke college student who'd rather explore the city than actually attend your lectures.

"Foreigners enjoy a very favorable situation in China, for sure," says Jon*, who worked at a Chinese university as a liaison between international business students and the staff. "If you go to a club, yes, you'll get free drinks, and you'll get in for free. Whereas Chinese people still have to pay."

These perks are a way for China to make itself more appealing to foreigners, who, Jon says, are still viewed by Chinese citizens as "super powers" and also enjoy advantages like higher wages and better job opportunities than locals.

But according to students I spoke with, not all exchange students are treated equally. While white skin awards you near-celebrity status, black skin might get you spat on outside a McDonald's or labeled as "dangerous." You might also be sized up according to your assumed race and gender at clubs, then treated in accordance with that value.

Hello again, white privilege.

For the purposes of global education, VICE has included six stories about what it's really like to live and study in China and why being treated like a VIP can either be wildly fun or weirdly dehumanizing.

Ashton*, 25 Exchange Student From: Germany Program: Marketing

In 2015, I went on a six-month exchange program to China. I really had no restrictions at the university. You're late? It's fine. You want to change your exam date? Fine. It's easy to use; "this is how we do things in Germany" as a justification for anything. Even bringing your phone to an exam. I'm actually going back there for my master's degree because it'll be easy for me to get good grades. I tried to find a program in Germany or the Netherlands, but it was really difficult because my grades are shit. When I asked my old university in China if they had any programs in management, they said: "Yes, of course, we'll give you a scholarship." They're also giving me free housing, an allowance per month, and no tuition fees. So I said, "OK, yeah, I'm coming back." But all this makes you feel pretty weird because while a lot of non-white foreigners are just so fucking happy to have the chance to come to China, you're only there because it's free. For example, I'm in a WhatsApp group with 40 people who have applied for scholarships in China. There are three Westerners and 37 people from either Africa, Bangladesh, or Pakistan. The only people who got replies from the university were the three Westerners.

Before my trip, I'd heard China preferred foreigners at clubs, but I didn't understand the racism until I went there. My ex-girlfriend was a promoter at one of these clubs—she sold guest list spots to people—and got paid according to what types of people she brought in. Non-Western foreigners were level one and worth nearly nothing to promoters. The second level was Western foreigners, and the third level was pretty girls. So there was a man at the door checking "is she pretty or not pretty?" and if she was pretty, the promoter would get more money for bringing her in. The last level was models—like real models, ones staying in Beijing for shoots and stuff. Promoters would get about $20 for bringing them in.

It's also normal to get free drinks the whole night if you're white. For my farewell party, we went to a club, and there were ten people, six of them blond girls. We got two bottles of Grey Goose—worth about $300 in that club—all for free. I felt like a king at first, but it was also really weird. They were catering to our every need, and we didn't pay a thing.

It's hard to enter certain clubs if you're with black people. I have a friend from Mozambique, and once we went to a really nice club and booked a table in advance. We all met at the entrance—five Westerners and one black person—and the promoter was like, "Yeah, you cannot enter." When we asked why, he told us it was because my friend looked dangerous, which was just crazy. We argued with the guy for about 15 minutes and told him that if he didn't let us in, we'd post on WeChat that the club was racist, and so he finally let us in. From there, it was open bar all night.

Sami, 25 Exchange Student from: Finland Studying: Law

I studied international and Chinese law in Beijing, and the first night I was there, I went out with some master's students, and they took us out to a street filled with different clubs. We got in free to all of the clubs; all the alcohol was free, and we got VIP tables. That first night I was like, "Woah, what is this?" I'm not sure if it felt wrong, but it felt weird. There'd be big lines of Chinese people waiting to get in, and we'd walk right by. Also, we went to this pretty famous club in the center of Shanghai—it's called M1NT, they've got sharks in the dance floor—and again, we just walked past this huge line, got VIP cards, and also free alcohol the whole night. Just because we were European. All the free stuff and better treatment was fun in the beginning, but in the long run, it felt... it didn't feel good.

I got preferential treatment outside the party scene, too. When my parents came to visit, we went to a restaurant that was a little fancier. I didn't book a reservation, and so there was a two-hour wait when we got there. We thought, Well, that's OK, we'll go shopping for a bit. But when we left, the staff came running after us and said, "Wait, we have a free table for you." We thought that since it was just the three of us, maybe a small table had opened up and that's why we got in, but inside there was a whole other room full of Chinese people still waiting. Throughout the meal we had four waiters serving us, people taking photos of us, and the whole experience was very strange. In China, you're often perceived as super rich if you're Western. They think you have a lot of money and you're there to party, and that's it. It gets annoying because in reality most of us are there because of grants, scholarships, and wanting to travel; we even take out loans to do it.

Erin*, 24 Exchange Student from: Canada Studying: Law

My boyfriend and I chose to study abroad in Beijing this past summer through a program where Chinese government scholarships are available for Canadian students. Being fairly poor law students who love to travel, we were pretty intrigued by the idea of government funding.

We didn't know when we would be getting our scholarship—$1,200—or even how it would be given to us. We didn't get anything when we arrived, which we thought was a little odd, but then during our last week, a Chinese student came to the front of the class and was like, "Hey, everyone, your money's here!" Everyone cheered. Then the next day they brought in cash—stacks of freshly printed 100 yuan bills, all put into envelopes and stored up in the program administrator's office. So, 80 students lined up in the hallway, all waiting for their $1,200. Considering you can buy lunch for the equivalent of $0.80, it was a ton of money to have in cash.

Edson, 21 Exchange Student from: Africa Studying: Accounting

There aren't many black people in China. I didn't want to study abroad there, but in recent years China has been investing a lot in Africa, so our government has started giving scholarships to students. From the moment I got there, things were just really different. I walked out of the airport, and my nose just started itching. There was so much pollution. I thought instantly: This place isn't good for me. Then came the stares on the train. People look at you as if you're really, really different; they've never seen someone like you, and so they take pictures.

China is growing economically, about 6 percent every year, but I don't think it's a good place to study. Some foreigners really like it because of all the free stuff. I mean, I still got the free drinks and free entry into the clubs, but it would depend on what kind of club it was and who I was with. I was with a bunch of friends from the Netherlands most times, and so I was viewed as part of their group. Actually, most people would assume that since I'm black and speak English, I must be American. And if you're American or European, Chinese girls love it, but I didn't like the attention because I'd rather be liked for who I am. The fact is if you tell them you're African, you're viewed as poor, like you don't know what an iPhone is, etc.

There were only two black people in the entire university, which was a problem for me. I would invite people in my class to go to clubs, or I'd say, "Hey, let's grab a drink or something," because I wanted to make friendships with the Chinese students. But they'd say they had to go to the library. Every time it was the same: "I have to go to the library." I tried to make friends, but they didn't let me in. Eventually, I met some people from Europe and just hung out with them. And so I didn't go to a lot of classes. My teachers never gave me a hard time about it because I think they knew it was difficult fitting in. I could do whatever I wanted. In that way, I was treated basically the same as the white students.

I remember one very sad day in particular. In China, they have a habit of spitting on the floor, and so one day I went to McDonald's and bought a Big Mac. As I was leaving, there was a Chinese man who spit on my shirt. I don't know why he did it. Anyway, I thought maybe it was a mistake, but when I looked at him, he didn't say sorry, just gave a look like "I don't like you" or something. I was sad but also angry. I didn't do anything, just walked away. And that was when I thought, You know, I can't put up with this bullshit anymore. It's too hard. I wasn't OK with myself over there.

Jackie*, 26 Exchange Student from: Canada Studying: Law

I went on a summer exchange program to China, and afterward, I got an internship at a big law firm in Beijing. At the firm, some other interns and I would get invited every week or two to go have dinner with a group of lawyers from the firm. They'd bring us to these fancy restaurants, and they'd pay the bill, and you knew it wasn't the type of dinner they were inviting their Chinese colleagues to every week. We got invites because we were international interns. And even though I was the only white person in this particular group of interns, I was the only one they invited personally, and from there, they allowed me to bring friends. Once, during dinner, the woman who invited us was really making sure we were having a good time. She even started to dance and sing. Often, my friends and I would go out as a big group, and night after night our table would be given several bottles of spirits, solely based on the color of our skin. Some people in my group would abstain from drinking because it was discriminatory, like white privilege at its finest. That's the kind of racial privilege caucasian people have access to in Beijing. That said, we always hear that China is taking a bigger place in the world and its economy, and so it's good to go there and see what's behind these great firewalls that prevent us from exchanging with them.

There's also a local version of Tinder, it's called Tantan, and if you're a foreigner, this app can really open some doors if you're looking to meet new people. Some of the people in my group were using it, and every single time they'd swipe, they'd get a swipe back in return. If you're white, it just isn't the same game.

Shaun, 26 Exchange Student from: Canada Studying: Law

During my exchange program, I was photographed quite often. I remember being approached three distinct times, and each time it happened at a pretty big tourist attraction. I'm tall and caucasian, and from what I heard, Chinese people are interested in photographing someone like me because by doing so they can show their family and friends that the places they're visiting have such a high status that they attract white Westerners as well. It's like, "Look, this place is so cool, even this white guy went there!" I just kind of went along with it because I didn't feel like it was doing any harm, but it always felt a little awkward. It's like, why me? It's uncomfortable to be this, well, image of beauty or whatever. But I also think it's learned behavior culturally. One time my girlfriend and I were approached by a family, and the mother and grandmother were super into getting a picture with us, but their six-year-old daughter wanted nothing to do with it. It was like she hadn't learned the rule about wanting photos with white people.

*Names have been changed.

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Source: White Privilege as a Western Student in China Source: White Privilege as a Western Student in China

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