The long-drawn discourse of racism is as necessary as it is painful.

While the prejudice has been (mostly) acknowledged to exist in Singapore, members of the majority group will probably be less likely to understand its pervasiveness.

But a trip to South Germany made Instagram user @urbandoll (also known Keline Woo) further empathise with her minority friends in Singapore.

Woo relates her experiences with racism through a series of Instagram stories, which she shared on Oct. 20.

Woo clarified that she was not racist, but merely angry at the "ignorant people" who judge others based on their skin colour:

The stories started with a Caucasian girl who stole a seat that belonged to Woo's boyfriend (who is also Asian):

Trapped in a corner

But that was not the only incident.

In another instance, a group of teenage girls allegedly ganged up against Woo to trap her in the corner of an eatery.

Here's what happened, according to her:

Woo was at a two-seater with her boyfriend, who had gone to buy food

Five girls were seated beside her

Another three girls were by a long table with high chairs (illustrated by Woo below)

Out of nowhere, the three girls approached Woo's area

One of them sat right next to her, despite the fact that it was not a proper seat

One of the girls even told her friend to "just take it [the seat]"

Another girl sniggered at Woo when she realised the latter could speak English, and even pointed it out to her friend condescendingly

The rest sat with the five girls

When Woo's boyfriend saw her squeezing with the group of girls, he gestured for her to make her way to the now-empty long table with high chairs.

However, Woo had some difficulty wriggling out of the group, as she trapped against the wall by the girl who had sat beside her

When she tried to wriggle out, they stared at her in a hostile manner

Here's how she explained it in her sequence of stories:

Woo then explains she was outnumbered by them, and questions what these girls have been taught growing up:

Cut queue and raised voice

In yet another episode, another Caucasian had cut Woo's queue and allegedly raised her voice at her:

The Westerner only left when her own friend told her to do so:

Invisible human

However, Woo acknowledges that she's had both nice and mean encounters, and does not wish to generalise all Caucasians as rude or racist:

She shared more about her past experiences, all of which were pleasant:

But everything went downhill in South Germany.

In addition to the incidents above, Woo says she and her boyfriend were generally treated as ghosts -- invisible and ignored.

"How has the minority been treated in my own country?"

But it was this sort of treatment that made Woo reflect on how minorities in Singapore have been treated.

As a Chinese in Singapore, Woo never had any problems going about with her daily life:

But she now realises these are things she took for granted.

She also wrote about a sad encounter with a foreign worker in Singapore:

Woo explained that her boyfriend was accustomed to such treatment, as he has been living in Europe for some time.

Her experience, however, seems to have resonated with plenty of her followers:

Woo also asked for minority voices in Singapore to share their experiences with her.

Top image from @urbandoll on Instagram

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