More Saturday Social Studies

Have you ever lied about yourself to a total stranger? I have. I do it all the time. I tell people I’m from different countries all over the globe. Today happened to give me that opportunity again.

Another Saturday spent scouting West Lake. This is a terrific place for people watching. To me, people watching is the act of observing and does not include interacting. However, today a woman came up to me as I had my nose in a book and asked if I was from France. Taking my cue, I answered, “Oui.” Do I look French? Awesome.

What kills me, though, is that when she discovered I was French, she tried to carry on a conversation with me in English. Temporarily more interested in the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe and not really being in the mood for conversation, I knew just enough French to keep her confused for a few minutes before she finally realized I was beyond the bounds of her communication skills and left. Some people make no sense to me.

Do I feel guilty? Not really. When the mood strikes me, I can talk a person’s ear off. Earlier this morning, for instance, I shared a taxi with a man from the Philippines. We carried on for well over an hour and I was grateful for some English conversation. Subjects of travel inevitably ensued, as well as jobs, future plans, the difficulties of China, and finally the state of economy. So, I bear no guilt for brushing off the woman at the Lake.

After I’d had my fill of observations and macabre short stories, I decided to take in another movie. There was one English-speaking film and I didn’t care what it was. Fortunately, it just so happened to be something I was in the mood for: mindless and cheap horror tricks. It is October, after all, and Halloween is two weeks away.

“Rogue” was the English feature in Hangzhou. Killer Australian crocodile movie, very reminiscent of “Lake Placid,” but without the comic relief of Betty White. I’ll admit, there were a few moments I jumped in my seat. Yet, even though it isn’t the sort of movie you really need to pay that much attention to, I was finding it hard not to be distracted by all the commotion around me.

You know those annoying ads at the beginning of movies that tell you to please turn off your cell phone and no talking during the movie, etc.? Well, they don’t have that here in China. In China, you can chat at normal volumes with your buddy sitting next to you; you can light up a cigarette; and you can keep your cell phone switched on with full ringer volume. Hell, you can even strike up a phone conversation in the middle of the movie (no kidding).

I’ve sat during movies with a room full of 20 sugar-wired pre-schoolers on pajama day and it was quieter than the audience tonight. No matter how many times you spit out “Shhh!” they just don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to make noise. My two Chinese cinema experiences so far have left me with a major headache. That said, I’ve always loved going to the movies and I don’t think even these irksome quirks will stop me.