The Diaries

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July 23, 2009

Celeb Status

Posted by Kelly

The two weeks my boyfriend spent in China FLEW by! And now it just hit me that I only have a few weeks left here in Dalian and with DDA Fesco. As my return date approaches I have very mixed feelings about returning home. On one hand, I’m homesick. I miss home, family, friends, Iowa-life. But on the other hand, I LOVE China! I love the people, the food, the freedom, the different culture, lifestyle and norms. I honestly never thought I would have fallen in love with China like I have.

One thing about China that I’ve become strangely used to is my celebrity status. I get weird looks, Hello’s, smiles, waves, honks, and pictures taken. (Look out Hollywood, Kelly is here!) In Beijing my boyfriend also got to experience this lifestyle change. While looking around in Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City, we had lots of people come up and ask to have their picture taken with us. And who are we to turn down photo ops? We smiled, posed, and even were arm-and-arm with other Chinese tourists. I have no idea how many or where our pictures ended up, but the memories of this are priceless!

[Side story: I rarely get pictures taken in Dalian (or at least no one asks). I was surprised to be asked the other day! I was waiting by the shopping mall to meet with my English student, Chen, and it happened again! I was standing alone minding my own business when a father and son approached me. The father nudged his terrified five year old over in my direction and held up his camera. “OK!” I agreed. I posed “Chinese style” holding up the peace sign and the father took a few photos. Yep, I’ll miss these moments!]

In Beijing this time I visited the Summer Palace. It was HUGE! And beautiful! And stunning! And HUGE! Did I mention how big this place was? Every day when you left the air conditioned hotel it was like entering a sauna. I’m pretty sure we lost 5 pounds of water due to the sweat dripping off our bodies as we hiked around the palace. I read up on some history and the palace was a gift from the emperor to his mother. I think this is history’s best Mother’s Day gift ever!

At the capital I again got the chance to see the Great Wall. Yep, it’s still breathtaking! I think you could go to the Wall every day and always be reminded of the greatness of this structure. We again took the “un-hero” like way of riding up to the way in a cable car ski lift. (They say you are a hero if you climb up the mountain to the wall. Maybe next time!) However, on the way down the mountain we took the toboggan ride. Think the movie, “Cool Runnings” but in a sauna on a mountain with lots of turns and only two small levers to speed up and slow down. Each “toboggan”, if you will, was one-person sized and pretty narrow! I whipped around corners on the metal shoot and almost ran into the person in front of me! (It was easy to get the brake and “gas” levers mixed up.) My boyfriend and I survived and had a blast on the ride down from the Wall. I would recommend this way of travel to everyone!

I would be lying if I would admit I didn’t do any shopping in Beijing. I really tried to restrain myself from looking at knock-off purses, shoes, clothing and gifts galore! But I had to buy a few things to show off my advanced bartering skills to my boyfriend! I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I feel like I’ve become an expert bargainer! I can’t remember the last time I paid full price for anything! The seller started his price out, at a discount for me, around 800RMB. I ask for 50RMB. It takes some time, some smiles, some jokes here and there, and maybe even a slow walk away, but I always end up carrying my new purchase for the price I wanted. Having gotten used to this I am afraid I’ll be in the Cedar Falls mall trying to barter with the lady at Von Mauer because $20 for a shirt is a little steep. How about $5?

I don’t want to speak for my boyfriend, but I think he really enjoyed China. I loved watching him try out new foods, use chopsticks, and explore the sights and sounds of China. Since I know he doesn’t read this diary page, I can safely tell my readers he also enjoyed a pedicure! Yes, it’s true! We got this manly man’s toe nails looking neat, trim and polished with a clear coat. I felt bad for the lady who had to touch those toe nails, but she didn’t complain. I also managed to sweet talk him into wearing matching t-shirts, carrying my purse around when it got heavy, and even looking around in the art district of Beijing. I loved having the chance to show him how wonderful China truly is.

Out of all the delicious foods we tried: hot pot, BBQ, spicy foods, noodles, fresh seafood, etc., can you guess the one food he’ll miss the most? The fried rice.