What is a Muzungu? Muzungu is a term for foreign person, used mostly in
the southern, central, and eastern regions of Africa (like Malawi!). It
can mean "aimless wanderer" or "someone who roams around aimlessly".
However, most natives of Africa associate the term with the meaning
"white person" or "European". When I was in Africa, this was basically
my name. It's important to note that this term is not offensive.
Now if you called someone out based on their ethnicity or race in the
United States, you would more than likely get slapped....
There are not very many white people in Malawi (no surprise), and many
of the natives have never seen a white person other than through a
picture or on TV, especially someone as white as I am. It was difficult
to convince them that I had a name, a personality, and a life outside of
Africa. It was also hard to adjust being in Africa and having everyone
stare at you, staring because of your skin color, your accent, and your
lifestyle.
The more I thought about being the "muzungu", the more I realized I was
facing this problem before I went to Africa. I don't mean being singled
out by my race, but the concept of trying to portray myself as not just a
typical college student, as "Kalchik's little sister", or that girl in
class that doesn't talk as much. I've been trying to find ways to
distinguish myself from the rest of the world as an individual. That is
what got me interested in Social Media, because I can describe myself on
my own terms through the "inner voice" of my head. I don't want to be
remembered as someone who blends into society, or gets stereotyped with
other people who are similar to me; I want to stand out and make a name
for myself.