Virtual China '98

By: Allison Chen

Group: Markin

Location: Tai Shan

As the foreigners entered the ferry I had a feeling that it would be a very rowdy ride. The adult leaders showed the children where to sit and helped store the luggage in corners that would not be in anyone's way. Finally, after hours it seemed all of the passengers found where they were to sit and settled down. However, this peace did not last for long, for the children all soon got restless and decided to walk around and socialize. It soon got very loud and I was beginning to get a headache. Not many of these foreigners bought any food from the ferry because it seemed as though they all brought their own lunches along with them. However, I did give some service to the other passengers who were locals. Later, all of the children in red shirts began to go up the stairs to visit the captain. They all made messes with their food and snacks and I imagined how long it would take to clean everything up. Most of these children did not have any respect for me or the rest of the crew. A lot of them yelled at us in English, a language I am not fluent with. All together, I think that the ride was a very interesting one indeed.

Perspective of Barber:

I was having a normal and casual day today until a group of foreigners came to visit our town. They were kids on bikes and they all had red shirts saying Hong Kong International School. The most amazing thing that was one of the students wanted to have a haircut in my shop. The kid was called Cris Acconci, if I was not wrong. He had dark brown hair and a very, very cute smile. I was very exited to give the foreign kid a haircut. He was making hand motions and gestures at me, and I had no idea what he was trying to tell me. Then, one of the students translated to me that he wanted a short hair cut. So I just got to the point and started to cut. As I took my razor blade the kid gave me a very scared look. I mean don't you use razors to cut hair in Hong Kong. So I took my comb and started d bled when I would cut near the neck. The whole village came to see the foreign kid and they stated to laugh and make comments. I could tell that the kid was feeling nervous but I knew that inside the kid's heart he was having an interesting time. After 15 minutes of cutting I was done. He looked new and fresh. When I told him that the price of the haircut cost 10 yuan (1.24 USD) he gave me a Eureka type of look. I said that it's been cheep but it was not in China. He paid and left with his group and whole village greeted the group away. I must say that it was a very memorable day of my life. Now I would know who to act and cut the hair of a foreign person. It was an event full day.