My First Chinese Birthday

(Note: I apologize for taking so long to update anything on this blog, but a few days after my birthday, China started blocking Blogger. I do not know why, but even proxys would not let me log on until now. For fear of writing something rude I will just write my blog now.) I spent my birthday in China, but not just China…Hong Kong Disney! It was the ‘magic kingdom’ because we left Chinese society and briefly visited Western civilization. I love Chinese life, but bless its heart it can be disgusting. At Disney, there was no spitting; it felt and looked and was clean. I know not all of China is as dirty as Xili, but when Chinese do not touch food with their bare hands you develop an idea that all of China is the same.
Anyway, we took the numerous subways to the Disney rail, where the car windows and handlebars were in the shape of Mickey’s ears. As you lounged on the plush seats, you saw statues of famous Disney cartoon characters.
I was super excited. Not only was I jumping up and down like a pogo stick, I also had a smile plastered on my face. I wonder if anyone thought I had a problem. NOT ONE CHILD looked excited to be at Disneyland. I did not see smiles of any kind. Chinese need to learn to display their happiness; otherwise we Westerners will constantly think they are unhappy. As we alit the train, we heard Disney songs. It was comforting not to hear C-pop (Chinese pop music); my ears can only take so much of sappy-sounding love songs. China should develop its rock music selection, but that’s a blog for another day.
Hong Kong Disney was a copy of Disneyland in the US. There was Main Street, USA, Tomorrowland, Fantasyland, and Adventureland. I experienced brief culture shock at the entrance with Main Street, USA, which is reminiscent of the Old West. I saw old, Western buildings that were not apartments. They were homes! China does not have houses, only apartments.
Since we arrived around lunchtime, we ate a wonderfully delicious, horribly expensive lunch. I ate fried chicken and fries and Coke. What could be more American than that? And this was real fried chicken, not a misguided Chinese version.
Then it was time for rides. Space Mountain was so much fun. Like any other ride at a Western amusement park, you get your photo taken at the end, which we made sure to pose for. The line for Space Mountain was almost non-existent because roller coasters are moving rides, which can easily make Chinese ill. We even got a piece of paper warning us about this “roller coaster type ride.” It did not stop us Americans. ^_^
I will not bore you all with tales of every single ride, but I want to tell you about the Lion King musical performance. Rafiki, Scar and Simba were played by black people! Blacks are a novelty in China. I have to point them out in China because they are near impossible to see in Shenzhen. I expected the whole cast to be Chinese because it was Hong Kong after all.
After spending the day at the wonderful world of Disney, I think I can survive the next few months in China. Disney offered a nice respite from Chinese society and culture. I believe that when you live in a different country, you should surround yourself with the culture and society. However, there should ALWAYS be places to go that remind you of home. McDonald’s does not cut it.