I guess it was last month I went with a few of my American friends to visit this English culture club (training center) their friend had opened. They were having American style KTV! Which I miss ever so much! In China the KTV is individual rooms with just couches, 2 mics and your own karaoke machine. It works out well bc I get to sing as many times as I want! Unlike in the US were you sit around for hours for your name to be called for your 3 minutes of fame! I always like a bigger group to go to the KTV here, but it seems my Chinese friends would prefer 3 or 4 people in a room. WHY? They are serious mic hogs! Like they put me to shame, as if I am a shy little girl in the corner, which you know I have never been, when it comes to singing. Also public stares of descent are not effective in Chinese culture. So if they did American style KTV here you would literally have to drag the people off stage. Even in a room of friends there have been some mic hog arguments. This one guy wanted to sing a love song to his new girlfriend and every time he started singing one of the other boys would grab the other mic and join in. The boyfriend got so mad and kept restarting the song but the other boy never got the hint. HILARIOUS!
SO at the culture club one of the girls that works there started talking to my group of American friends, asking about church. They all pointed to me as the Christian of the group and we exchanged numbers and said I would be happy to take her to my church whenever she was free. And that was it. We had to leave and I thought I would never see the girl again. However, the next weekend she was texting me asking when we could meet. Honestly I wasn't planning on going that week. The service is really long and I had become very lazy. But then I decided I needed to be a good example and go since she was reaching out to me. As soon as we get there she starts asking me about joining a Bible study and I say I will take her to the group I have previously abandoned. And feeling like she was looking up to me, I realized I needed to start going regularly as well. She stood up and introduced herself at church and said all these nice things that she was so thankful God and sent me to her so that she could find a church again. And I told her after I was pretty sure God sent her to me too. I needed to get my act together and stop making excesses for missing worship.
Also through the Bible study I have made some of the best Chinese friends! We had said hi and have a good day before. But now we have lunch after church every Sunday and message each other during the week. If I ever miss church or the Wednesday night study group I have at least 6 people I have to explain myself too! I don’t know what I did to make them love me so much, but they really do!
Last week one of the girls convinced me I needed to do the China version of Glamor shots before I left. I see the places all the time and usually its people taking wedding pictures. However, I found out that most of those couples running around in wedding dressses are just doing it for the pictures! Me and 2 of my Chinese friends went to get our pictures together. It’s just like the US where they do your hair and make-up, except that they have tons of dresses for you to wear. And it’s way cheaper (less than $15 US).
They have traditional Chinese dresses from all of the different dynasty or the Japanese styles. Only problem is they are all China size, and even slimmed down... I will never be china size! The ladies kept searching for the biggest dresses and saying look soo big! Then holding it up to me to see.... still not big enough!! They even tried to get me in some of the wedding dresses. And I said no no I am not getting married! But my friends are like no its fun! Haha
So after minimal tears I convinced them that I would wear my own clothes (a concept that they had never heard of) and try one of their dresses. AND when I first sat down to do my make-up she came at me with a single razor blade and I backed away and shook my head no. haha like a little kid that didn't want to take my medicine! She brought my friend over to translate that she wanted to shave my eyebrows and it would be more beautiful. I responded I know! And I don’t wanna! Heck no she is not holding that razor to my eyeball! I don’t know her! I lost that fight too and she shaved just a little bit, it was awful.
BUT she was super nice, the whole time she was doing my eye makeup she said WOW every time I opened my eyes! And I taught her the English words for OPEN and CLOSE eyes...My Chinese word of the day XIAO meaning smile. That’s all you need to bridge the language gap; open, close, smile! Haha.
The photographer was awesome! I brought my friends in with me to translate but he very quickly decided just to mime what he wanted me to do. His poses where much cuter and sexier than mine, which made me very happy! He would say grab your ear like this while doing the motions and then turn to my friends, “wow she knows Chinese?!” No I am just a natural blonde, we know how to turn it on for the camera... it’s in my blood! My favorite was the sweet girly little voice he would use when giving directions. I know he was trying to be relaxing and get me to be girly, but it was hilarious! And then when we were done he would switch to his normal voice about 2 octaves lower!
The one Chinese costume I agreed to wear also meant a new hair style. So I sit down thinking I will get a blow dry or a few curls, NO! She pulls my hair back and starts draping black weave all around my head! On my friends it looked like they had long hair pulled up into a bun but on me I looked like a skunk with white roots against dead animal that was curled up on my head. I sat there and laughed until one of my friends came over and told the girl this wasn't working. They were determined so they gave me black bangs and a million gold hair clips and a big flower! She said no one will notice the inch of blonde showing above each of my ears, but we will see!
Included in the $15 photo shoot is a photo book, desk frame, poster, key chain and a CD of all the pictures! I love China! I get the CD Sunday, but the merchandize doesn’t come until the middle of the summer. So my friend will have to hold in until I get back. That will be a nice welcome back gift!
SO at the culture club one of the girls that works there started talking to my group of American friends, asking about church. They all pointed to me as the Christian of the group and we exchanged numbers and said I would be happy to take her to my church whenever she was free. And that was it. We had to leave and I thought I would never see the girl again. However, the next weekend she was texting me asking when we could meet. Honestly I wasn't planning on going that week. The service is really long and I had become very lazy. But then I decided I needed to be a good example and go since she was reaching out to me. As soon as we get there she starts asking me about joining a Bible study and I say I will take her to the group I have previously abandoned. And feeling like she was looking up to me, I realized I needed to start going regularly as well. She stood up and introduced herself at church and said all these nice things that she was so thankful God and sent me to her so that she could find a church again. And I told her after I was pretty sure God sent her to me too. I needed to get my act together and stop making excesses for missing worship.
Also through the Bible study I have made some of the best Chinese friends! We had said hi and have a good day before. But now we have lunch after church every Sunday and message each other during the week. If I ever miss church or the Wednesday night study group I have at least 6 people I have to explain myself too! I don’t know what I did to make them love me so much, but they really do!
Last week one of the girls convinced me I needed to do the China version of Glamor shots before I left. I see the places all the time and usually its people taking wedding pictures. However, I found out that most of those couples running around in wedding dressses are just doing it for the pictures! Me and 2 of my Chinese friends went to get our pictures together. It’s just like the US where they do your hair and make-up, except that they have tons of dresses for you to wear. And it’s way cheaper (less than $15 US).
They have traditional Chinese dresses from all of the different dynasty or the Japanese styles. Only problem is they are all China size, and even slimmed down... I will never be china size! The ladies kept searching for the biggest dresses and saying look soo big! Then holding it up to me to see.... still not big enough!! They even tried to get me in some of the wedding dresses. And I said no no I am not getting married! But my friends are like no its fun! Haha
So after minimal tears I convinced them that I would wear my own clothes (a concept that they had never heard of) and try one of their dresses. AND when I first sat down to do my make-up she came at me with a single razor blade and I backed away and shook my head no. haha like a little kid that didn't want to take my medicine! She brought my friend over to translate that she wanted to shave my eyebrows and it would be more beautiful. I responded I know! And I don’t wanna! Heck no she is not holding that razor to my eyeball! I don’t know her! I lost that fight too and she shaved just a little bit, it was awful.
BUT she was super nice, the whole time she was doing my eye makeup she said WOW every time I opened my eyes! And I taught her the English words for OPEN and CLOSE eyes...My Chinese word of the day XIAO meaning smile. That’s all you need to bridge the language gap; open, close, smile! Haha.
The photographer was awesome! I brought my friends in with me to translate but he very quickly decided just to mime what he wanted me to do. His poses where much cuter and sexier than mine, which made me very happy! He would say grab your ear like this while doing the motions and then turn to my friends, “wow she knows Chinese?!” No I am just a natural blonde, we know how to turn it on for the camera... it’s in my blood! My favorite was the sweet girly little voice he would use when giving directions. I know he was trying to be relaxing and get me to be girly, but it was hilarious! And then when we were done he would switch to his normal voice about 2 octaves lower!
The one Chinese costume I agreed to wear also meant a new hair style. So I sit down thinking I will get a blow dry or a few curls, NO! She pulls my hair back and starts draping black weave all around my head! On my friends it looked like they had long hair pulled up into a bun but on me I looked like a skunk with white roots against dead animal that was curled up on my head. I sat there and laughed until one of my friends came over and told the girl this wasn't working. They were determined so they gave me black bangs and a million gold hair clips and a big flower! She said no one will notice the inch of blonde showing above each of my ears, but we will see!
Included in the $15 photo shoot is a photo book, desk frame, poster, key chain and a CD of all the pictures! I love China! I get the CD Sunday, but the merchandize doesn’t come until the middle of the summer. So my friend will have to hold in until I get back. That will be a nice welcome back gift!
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