It’s been a while since I have been in downtown Linyi, and I had forgotten all the attention I get when I go there. The “hellos” and the “Laowais” and the not-too-subtle nudges to friends haven’t diminished in the least. This evening I felt like I was the only foreigner in town. It really does not matter that I’ve lived here for two years, I still get followed and stared at. Ridiculously.
In retrospect, sitting next to Ronald McDonald on the bench in front of McD’s was not the most inconspicuous of choices… I had people taking photos, kids waving and screaming hello, women staring at me as though I were an interesting painting hanging on the wall.
My spot next to Ronald at least afforded lots of great people watching, although mostly I saw inept drivers trying to get their cars in and out of the gigantic spaces in the parking lot.
The highlight of the evening was the rubber Louis Vuitton floor mats in the taxi I took home. Funny, I hadn’t noticed those on display in the LV store…
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
You’re brave. I don’t think I would be able to withstand that kind of attention (even though it’s positive). But I suppose you get used to it, right?
You do get used to it, but there is a threshold. The first few people who stared got a smile and a wave. The last few got a glare and a filthy mumbling. The last person to nudge their friend and say “laowai!” got a “yes, yes, laowai, laowai, laowai, laowai, laowai, laowai…” in a rather sarcastic tone.
The experience of living in China, however, has been extremely useful on one point – I used to be terribly shy and self-conscious in a crowd. Now I am able to slip into a self-induced bubble and not care about the crowd around me. Within reason.