And look at me now...

Sometimes it can be very freeing to be stared at all the time.

This might sound like a contradictory thing to say, and I have said before how uncomfortable it can be to be constantly looked at wherever you go, but after a while those stares become a personal license to relax. At home if someone is staring at you it's pretty likely that you're looking a bit odd; maybe you have something on your face, maybe your skirt is accidentally tucked into your pants, or maybe you're just having a rough hungover day. But in China people are staring at you regardless of all these things. They do think that you look a bit odd but only because you are a Westerner, they're staring at the pale skin and wide eyes, not specifically you. I like that I could be wearing a ridiculous combination of clothes, or just looking worse for wear, and the stares aren't going to be any more or less. This is a freedom. Freedom not to worry what one looks like when stepping out of the front door, freedom not to care what other people are thinking. And this is a freedom that I am personally fully embracing. I don't feel like brushing my hair and doing 'my face'? Then hell no, it's not happening! I want to wear my bright yellow trousers in public? Yep, throw 'em on and stride down the street in total comfort. Embrace the staring!

I'm a beautiful flower! Classic Chinese pose.

But sometimes it still is odd. When we went to Suzhou museum it seemed like, for a lot of the Chinese tourists, we were the main attraction. As soon as we stepped into the foyer a woman with a baby stopped us for a cheesy posed photo and sometimes it seemed like there were more people looking at and taking photos of us than of the actual exhibition. 

At the swimming pool people were stopping mid-length to have a look at me swimming, I guess all that pale skin was too much to pass by...

People taking 'stealth' photos of you (it's all too tempting to pose ridicously for these). 

And by now you've all heard about the small hoard of children permanently following me around school.  

A lot of people here are embracing and almost exploiting this semi-celebrity status to get free drinks and other perks on nights out, but so far it seems like, in Suzhou, however much we play the celebrity attraction during the day in the evening no one is interested. I guess we'll just have to be content with talking to old men at the bus stop. 

I know people are staring because we look different, but the differences they notice are what is surprising to me. Obviously they look at our big eyes, but I never thought they'd notice our long eyelashes and anything that isn't brown eyes, but they do. Turns out Chinese people love long eyelashes and blue eyes, and sometimes you'll see young people with scary piercing blue contacts but the thing you don't see Chinese women is makeup (unless you're in the 'lady bars', then they're ALL wearing makeup). It's kind of nice to not see layers of foundation and brightly coloured lips, and it's amazing how good Chinese women's skin usually is. No tired eye bags, minimal wrinkles in the old ladies, maybe there's something in this keeping your skin makeup free thing? 

Another thing they love, and perhaps the weirdest thing for me, is butts. The children at school are permanently slapping and poking and hiding behind my butt and I don't know whether to laugh or be angry at them. I'm not sure what the facination is but I can only assume its the 'curviness' you don't see so often in Chinese women, the Chinese tend to all be very petite and lacking in the booty department (whether that is a good or bad thing is up to you). Therefore in China I'm an absolute elephant with a huge arse, but this doesn't really bother me at all...for now I'm reveling in my big eyes and big butt and basking in the freedom of being local attraction!

The Master of Net's Garden, Suzhou