A Foreigner in a Foreign Country

Something I've had to come to the realization is that I am a foreigner. In Chinese, I am also called "Lao Wei" which literally means "alien" or "one who does not belong".  This can be a very derogatory term but somehow it fits perfectly. It is next to impossible to be anonymous as a woman with curly red hair and big green eyes. Now, living in a city of close to 9 million people, one might assume there are people from all walks of life sauntering the streets of Ningbo.  However, the foreign population in Ningbo is only 10,000.  No matter where I go, I get stares; staring is an understatement, I get full on gapes of the mouth, especially from the older generation. These stares are never out of distaste or disgust but of sheer curiosity. Some of the thoughts they seem to have are, "What the hell is she doing here?" "Where is she from?" and I have literally heard, "Why would you leave such a great country like America to come to China?". While these stares were very uncomfortable at first (because I grew up in a country where it's very rude to stare), as the days turned into nights I've learned to accept my fate as an outsider. No matter how much Chinese I learn or how much I know about the country, I will never blend in...and somehow that's OK.

Unfortunately, in China, it is very hard for Chinese citizens to leave the country for travel or work. They need two things: lots of money and the ability to speak English (and these don't necessarily guarantee you a visa). Because of this barrier in allowing the Chinese travel, I will never judge Chinese tourists for taking pictures of absolutely everything they see because these pictures are their only gateway into another life.