Are We Diplobrats?
Disclaimer: I do not condone underage drinking but this is a personal experience that I believe is worth sharing.
When I lived in the U.S., I spent my time playing outdoors, going to the mall with friends, and having plenty of sleepovers. That slightly changed when I moved to Beijing, China. I was a 15 year-old teenager, had to make new friends in a new environment and frankly, I was concerned. But fast forward to half a year later, I made many friends and we had plenty of things to do in our free time. That is the great thing about Beijing, there is so much to see and so much to do — you never get bored.
But since when do teens spend their Friday nights at a nightclub or a bar? Well, apparently they did in Beijing. Sanlitun was the place to go if you wanted a fun night out. During the day, it would entertain shoppers and restaurants visitors and on the weekends, during the night, the mall area would turn into the hotspot for Beijing nightlife.
At some point in the middle of the school year (when we had a study break), I got invited to go out ‘partying’. Now imagine this: a group of 15 and 16 year-old foreigners going to the club where no one checks their IDs and free drinks are handed to them. (21 year-old me is jealous right now.)
Before anyone starts attacking our parents for allowing this, hear me out. I think we were rather responsible for our age. While in other parts of the world, teenagers sneak out at night to do god-knows-what or lie to their parents about their whereabouts, we were not afraid to tell our parents the truth and always informed them about our plans for the night. (For those who do not know, European culture is pretty lenient when it comes to teen drinking because, for example, in Germany the legal drinking age for beer and wine is 16.) So automatically, this experience is not something you have the opportunity to explore in other countries.
My dilemma then was: how do you explain these life experiences to someone back ‘home’ without sounding like an entitled teenager? These experiences happened, yes, but it was a normal thing for us to do back in Beijing. I definitely recognize how lucky I am to have had the opportunity to experience this at a young age. However, to convey that to someone who may not know me well enough, retelling my teenhood adventures could come across as showing off and that is in no way my intention.
Often times people use the term “diplobrat” to mockingly refer to diplomats’ children, under the impression that we are ‘arrogant’ and lead opulent and cosmopolitan lifestyles (that is at least how Urban Dictionary defines us). There may be people with these qualities and experiences, but to stereotype diplomats’ children with this term is, to be frank, quite offensive (just like any other stereotype).
Living in Beijing has taught me that living abroad can offer certain experiences that are not always available elsewhere and involving one’s self in these experiences does not necessarily make you ‘spoiled’, ‘elite’ or a ‘brat’. It all comes down to how a person is raised to perceive the world and their subsequent actions. Am I ‘lucky’? Yes. Am I ‘fortunate’? Yes. ‘Humble’? Well, I consciously try to be. Sensing the unspoken judgement about the kind of person I am is not the best feeling.
What do you think? Do you consider yourself a diplobrat or does that label repulse you?
