Excuse me... can we take a picture?

---

I think one of the big things I'm going to miss when I get home is how much of a celebrity I am here. We get stared at wherever we go. Today more than ever. Can get annoying sometimes ~ like when we were sitting in Tiananmen Square and people kept coming up behind and us just starting at us for ages, but I love being asked for pictures! Must have posed with Chinese about 20 times just today! We were hanging about waiting for the rest of our group by the exit of the Forbidden City and so many people were like, OMG white people, and wanted pictures. Or just stared. We figured if we run out of money we can just get a hat and pose in Tiananmen Square and charge 1 Yuan per picture haha. We'd be loaded!

So hot today! Suddenly went from about 5-10 degrees to what felt like 25-30 degrees, so weird :S Didn't think I'd need shorts on this trip...

So I went to Tiananmen Square for the first time today. It's the largest city square in the world, 880m by 500m (I just looked it up :P), it's HUGE! I was trying to imagine the scale of June 4th when the square was full of people... Although that's obviously not something you want to be talking about while you're there! The place was crawling with soldiers. We hung around for a bit to see the lowering of the flag at sundown. People were standing about for hours to get near the front, and we rolled up just as they started and had a perfect view! Over the heads of all the small Chinese :P

Feeling much more comfortable just wandering about Beijing now, more confident in my small amount of Chinese and used to being here. Before I came I was so afraid to say anything in Chinese outside of my lessons for fear of mucking up tones completely or just making myself look stupid. But having come here and found out that most of the time it does actually work has been nice!

1 week down now, 2 left. Now that I've done most of the main tourists sites hopefully I can see more of the real Beijing and really try to use the opportunity to improve my Chinese... but I've gotta admit I love being such an English celebrity and getting my picture with so many smiling Chinese. What is it with their pose though? I swear every single one loves the two finger 'peace' sign or whatever it is. The Winston Churchill V for Victory! Great Britain! haha I'm sure it's not from that, but gotta throw in a bit of patriotism!

---

Photos

Picture time!
I'm not gonna lie, I love it!

Chairman Mao
Mao's portrait in Tiananmen Square

Lowering the Flag
Lowering the flag

Comments

[Rosh]

Yay for the pigment of your skin
Um, firstly, LOL at the fact that people actually want to take photos with you =P Joooke! I hope you're having a good time, and look at me! I'm stalking you and everything. I'm basically the best person you've ever and will know =) So, Chinese people are generally rather short right? You really must look like the Green Giant then! =) Oh, good times. Hope you're all well! Don't get any diseases! I'm flying out tomorrow, which is always super exciting, so I shall talk to you sometime... around. xxxxxxxxxxxxx