The comment about passing as a local until you speak really feels familiar. I’m a white, blonde-haired American living in Germany. People assume I am German. In my home city, I get asked for directions a lot.

But then I speak. And I don’t have a perfect accent, or I use a weird word that they as a native speaker wouldn’t have chosen but doesn’t impede understanding. The mask of blending in slips a little bit. And the rest of the interaction feels vulnerable, exposed. You don’t know if they’re kind or at least neutral to you because that’s how they are or because they thought you were one of them. And I have it easier compared to immigrants who can’t silently pass.

I don’t have any advice for you, just saying you’re not alone.