1st impressions count and so do 2nd ones...

When I met Ivoire it was on a rainy day and I was with a friend, he was friends with my friend. I don’t think it was either love or lust at 1st sight, I do know however that from the moment we started talking and I looked into his green eyes I knew that I would always want to sit and talk and look into those eyes. When I 1st arrived in Australia I was filled with excitement mixed with uncertainty. (I actually thought she was so shy we wouldn't talk at all, but i quickly found her really engaging. Not many people are when you think about it.)

I felt dreadfully homesick in the 1st 3 months and began to notice something...for starters Australia didn’t meet my expectations of a western country like say England, where I had been previously. Here it seemed every ‘black’ person was a refugee and so treated with open disdain – I think this island nation is still so young. (We have an appalling history when it comes to racism. Most countries do but yeah, it is bad for those of you who where not aware.)

I did make friends through uni, however who showed me that they weren’t as ignorant as some. And one of them is Ivoire. (Hahaha, oh wait your serious?) It was a chance meeting that has led us through the past 2 years together and hopefully till eternity. (Chance doesn't cover it, I decided at the last minute to go out that day and Ebene slept in, had neither occurred at the exact time it did we wouldn't have met.)

It seems someone has taken the liberty of editing my posts:P, anyway my part is to tell how we met and fell in love. Ivoire, well, he seems to have focused on what we go through everyday.

Walking down the street

I am a pariah. But I have never been a pariah in a racial sense, ever. That's a white Caucasian male who has only ever lived in Australia and England. Never ever ever ever. Never. I have always been in the majority, my team has always outnumbered the opposition, racially. In most other respects though, I am the odd one one.

I have no piercings. Needles are not my thing.
I have no tattoos. See the point above
I do not drink. Paying money to drink poison never caught on with me.
I do not party. See the above point.

I probably sound really boring but I have no issues with the body that god gave me, it has some imperfections but not enough to go sticking holes in it or drawing on it. I don't drink alcohol because I have seen for most of my childhood life the affects of alcoholism on alcoholics and on their loved ones. You really wonder if you are a loved one. Going out and drinking is under the same issue. I do not need any of these to feel good about myself and to enjoy myself. So what do I do for fun. Zap Zap computer games! Surfing the net (yes I know, you may think I'm a geek but the term your probably searching for is average boy) But mostly, the vast majority of my time is spent with my partner, we have become movie critics.

My pariahness hit a new level when an upstanding member of the Australian community (good old days lets shoot anyone of different skin colour thins is our country racial cleansing Australians) started yelling racial abuse at me. White boy in Australia. I've always felt a vague shame towards Australian history, though it is the only nation I call home and I would gladly serve it. I have perused this avenue as a career path on many occasions in the past and may do so in future, Though I will and do tell all my non white friends about our great nations history. A glorious stain across the pages of human history. But now I'm down right embarrassed. That man will never know what he has done, I have to look past my anger and pray God forgives him and me, because I'm having a hard time forgiving him.

I mean this is a rational human being, who pulled up his car at a set of traffic lights way before he needed to, just so he could yell abuse at me? Because my girlfriend is not white? I would be no more happy, possibly even more hurt had it been directed at my partner, but I have never had it aimed at myself. I am shocked and appalled. Do you know when the race riots in Sydney broke out I had people I know from overseas coming to me saying “What is going on in your country?”

I can hear people talking about Zimbabwe at the moment saying “Our country does not rig votes, beat up political dissidents etc etc.” This may be true, but your country will indiscriminately beat any non-white person to a pulp if pumped up on enough alcohol (it's a lovely thing drinking) and I can't walk down the street with my black partner with at best getting rude stares, at worst full fledged racial abuse. Next time you see someone of a different skin colour than yourself please think before you act.