At the Vietnamese border, a slick man tried to pull the money exchange scam on me again, similar to what happened to me in Laos. He was brutally bold when he tried to short me $40. I rolled my eyes and told him I was born at night, but not last night. As he was wasting his time trying to swindle me, I met a cool hippy couple from Israel. They were the only tourists I saw after crossing into China. They were also traveling to Kunming. Perfect!
There was a noticeably different vibe after crossing the Chinese border. It was much more organized and civilized than Vietnam. I breathed a sigh of relief. The Chinese are little less aggressive. I was accustom to the abrasive Vietnamese. I had even gotten to the point where I thought nothing of it when a local slapped my arm with the back of their hand to get by me, or grabbed my arm roughly as they desperately tried to gain my attention. The Chinese are a different breed. Ok, I know I didn't have very many nice things to say about them during my 1st visit to China, but that was 11 countries and 5 months ago! Plus, I'm all about second chances. I'm more tolerant this time around, after some of the crazy shenanigans I had pulled on me throughout the Middle East and Southeast Asia. I'm stronger this time around.
Let me tell you about the Chinese..... they stare incessantly. Especially in smaller towns. It's a look I've seen before..... Hmmm, where have I seen that look before? Ah yes! It's the same look a child has when mesmerized by a television. That completely dedicated attention look in their eyes. Godzilla could have been standing next to them shaking his tail feather and they wouldn't have batted an eye, because there was an elusive WHITEY in their presence! I had forgotten China was like this, and it caught me off guard.
In the bus station, as I was standing at the counter paying for a bottle of green tea, a Chinese girl tapped me on the shoulder and asked "picture?" She pointed excitedly at her boyfriend, whom was holding up his iPhone. Not wanting to come across as rude, (and wanting to give Americans a good name) I smiled and nodded. Her father sashayed out of nowhere and squeezed up next to me, hip to hip. I could feel his nervous energy. He proudly put his arm around my shoulder and giggled like a little schoolboy. I laughed at how silly the situation was. The boyfriend clicked a picture. Next, I took a photo with the girl and her father together, then one of just me and the girl. They were still giggling as they said "thank you!" and gave a little bow. They seem very interested in me, and perhaps the language barrier contributes to this enigma. They were smiling with beaming with joy as I ducked away, knowing all too well that when I let one person take my pic, a line of other hopeful paparazzi will rapidly follow.
Minutes later, as predicted, while I'm innocently eating steamed vegetables with chopsticks, I have more thrilled paparazzi surround me, snapping my pic with their phones. One of them corrects me on my chopsticks technique. Gee, thanks.
Lady Gaga's "paparazzi" song plays through my head. (why do I always have a song in my head? Is that normal?) All this picture taking has got me feeling like a zoo animal, or Michael Jackson. Or perhaps both, at the same time. Yes, I'm a little weirded out, but I'm happy to contribute to their happiness. I wonder what they do with these pictures. Show it to their friends? Post it on Facebook? Frame it and hang it on their wall? I'm not sure if I want to know!
As I'm walking through the aisle on the bus, I soon realize, besides the Israeli couple, that I'm the only tourist. As I saunter to my seat, every single pair of brown eyes are staring at me curiously. I seem to pique their interest more than the Israelis. I guess it's because I have curly blonde hair and their hair is dark brown. I sit down and speak to the Israeli couple across the aisle. A Chinese man in front of me whips his head around and has the biggest smile on his face. It's like hearing me speaking English is music to his ears. Throughout the 8 hour journey, I frequently catch him staring at me. When I meet his eyes, I see they are twinkling, dancing with delight. I'm an amusement to him.
If you ever come to China, and you're not Asian, be prepared to have many pictures taken of you. Don't say I didn't warn you!
I very rarely experience culture shock these days. In case you were wondering, the biggest culture shock I've ever experienced was in Egypt. Wow. Whichever country I'm in, that's my home. At least for the moment. I truly am a nomad. I feel comfortable and readily adapt to the culture. It's not until after I've been away from that country, months later, usually when I'm looking through my pictures, that I realize just how different the lifestyle is. I forget how completely different I look from them. When they stare at me, my initial reaction in my mind is "What are you staring at?!" Then I remember just how far away from home I am.
It's so important to allocate a sufficient amount of time to unwind after a long trip. You need to go home, to a familiar place, and process everything you've experienced. This is an emotional time. Realizations come screaming toward me at lightening speed. I know it will be a bumpy transition when I get back home. But I'll think of that later. For now, I'll gloat in my celebrity status in China and put on my best smile for the paparazzi's camera! Cheeeeeeese!
♫ ♬ Papa-paparazzi! ♫ ♬
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