Oh look, a foreigner!

We look a little different from the locals. Of course, this is an understatement, but it is worth mentioning. We are constantly stared at and sometimes laughed at, and it has taken a little getting used to. We haven't learned the Chinese word for "foreigner" yet, but I'm sure it is used around us frequently.

While we were visiting a garden in Suzhou a family approached us and asked to take a photo. To be honest, I thought they just wanted us to use their camera to take a group photo of the family. They had a totally different idea, as they wanted to take a photo with a foreigner. Since I'm the tall white guy, they asked me to pose with what I assume was the wife of the group (there was a grandma and grandpa, wife and husband, another couple, and some kids). As they were getting ready to take the snapshot, the woman grabs her 3 year old-ish daughter and hands her to me. I am usually pretty good with kids, but I think I must have looked a little alien to her because she FREAKED out.

At this point, I must have turned beet red and I put the little girl down saying "I'm sorry" in my best Chinese. The family burst into laughter, and the mom picks up the little girl to console her. The little girl then chastises her mom and gives her the biggest slap on the arm, which of course caused more laughter from the family.

So, somewhere in China my picture is in the photo album of some random family, and now their photo is in ours.