Good stuff Rockpecker from a white boy who has lived and worked in Nigeria and although European by birth now lives in the good ole USA.
Even though I am white and proud of it, because I do not speak "American", I get all sorts of racist comments made at me, I just let it roll off my back.
As a very good african friend of mine used to say, "Life is like a sh*t sandwich, the more bread you have, the less sh*t you eat", my reply to that was quite simply, "no situation is permanent".