PLAYING WITH SCISSORS BLIND

I am a little behind on my BLOG updates already, but I hope you'll forgive me. Flashback to DAY ONE.

DAY ONE in Beijing was humbling. The most trembling aspect of being submerged in another reality are the severe communication limitations.

My brother was at work, so it was up to me to explore without the comfort of a seasoned foreigner. I wandered the neighborhood shops and markets with untamed eyes.

Never have I felt more isolated. English does not exist across these alleys and on these streets and in these markets. To establish some semblance of shared meaning I point and nod. Social interactions are fragile. Primal.

When approached by a peddler of white pears, I freeze. Streams of sounds fly out of his mouth and stick to the air around me before falling flat at my feet. I stare and smile. More streams of sounds smack my clueless expression. Down and up. Right to left. I assume he wants me to buy his produce, but he could just as well be begging me to take off my clothes and clap like a monkey.

I slowly shuffle back. A mute in a new world. A lumpy mass floating in the unfamiliar. I shuffle into a color heavy shop where I buy crackers, juice, and tea for lunch. I promise myself that I'll get better at playing the game.