Come one, come all to see the foreigners!

For as much as we've come to see China - its culture, historical sites and wonderful food - there is part of me that believes one of the experiences of coming here is being seen by the Chinese.

When we're out in public, without fail, we're stared at, pointed at, talked about, and stopped by kids, parents and teenagers asking for photos. It's dangerous for us to stop too long in any one spot or else the hordes come out of the woodwork. So, we could be disciplining one of our children and we'll have 5-6 people watching us. Talk about the pressure to keep your composure! I feel like a celebrity being following around by a TMZ.com camera. And for as nice as the people have been to us, they are extremely forward. We're used to the more reserved style of the Japanese who definitely respect one's personal space! The men and women we've encountered in Beijing have no problem coming up to touch, grab, tickle or try to hold our kids. Anthon, who hates being touched by strangers, is at his wits end. He handles it by making his hand into a gun and shooting people. Ella, on the other hand, seems to really enjoy the attention, which led Shelley and me to wonder whether or not Ella gets enough attention at home!

It's an odd interaction. They don't speak English. We don't speak Chinese. We say the few words we know in each others' language and then we sort of turn our attention inward and stop truly interacting. We talk about them and they, I'm sure, talk about us. We become like two infants parallel playing but with no real interaction outside of a few smiles and gestures. For us it's all a very strange and new experience. But one we're quickly becoming used to.