I suppose there are times when every girl wishes they were a Disney princess. Wearing the dress, the shoes, the makeup and being loved by all, is all very desirable. What if I told you of another princess, one not exactly of Disney, nor even that well known? I'm talking, of course, of Princess Metallatygergoucha. She is very famous in Dalian-*, and you might catch a glimpse of her flitting around cleaning tables (much like Cinderella, only she gets to wear the outfit all the time). But the best part of being Princess Metallatygergoucha is when little children wish to take pictures with her, or give her drawings of mermaids. You can see it in her face, the joy she feels when a baby smiles, or a little girl giggles. The princess can then talk with these adorable beings and make sure their day is a special one. After all is said and done, the emotions of Princess Metallatygergoucha overfloweth her cup.
Kids run around the iCafe almost all day, everyday. I'm lucky enough to be so different looking that they all stare at me...sometimes they point, or babble something excitedly...I also get a lot of drive by waving. They'll come up to me, wave and run away as fast as possible. That'll happen about four times before their parents force them to come up and say hello to me. Normally I get down to eye level with them and ask them what their name is, or how old they are. After prompts from their mom or dad, they shyly reply and try to hide behind a nearby leg (normally their parent's...sometimes its the table's). I enjoy these exchanges immensely because they are so rambunctious until I walk by, then they stop dead in their tracks and stare like suddenly a cactus had started sewing a quilt in front of them. (I would stare at that, but more likely I would scream in terror and run away...that's just me). Mostly the kids will smile and laugh when I make faces at them, or ask me questions like, "May I help you"? which confuses me to no end...I mean, who's working here??
Yesterday I went exploring to parts of a plaza I had only seen from a cafe window. Cafe Copenhagen is nestled in between bakeries, an arcade, a karaoke joint, some local food stands, an import store and lots of restaurants and cafes. I was determined to do something with my life yesterday afternoon, so after work I took a book, my sunglasses and an adventurous spirit and headed out the door. I'll let you know now, it was rather uneventful compared to my other outings...just to make sure you have no huge expectations formed! I ate an early dinner, then set out to find things. I found a bookstore that has old textbooks and maybe a couple English novels, some shops that sell tea, seafood, and a mural with 70's style flowers on it. There's an import store with very important things like flour, sugar, vanilla extract and chocolate chips. (Can you gather what I'm missing from home?) I'll make my way back there sometime and start an ingredient collection. Basically the plaza offers nice areas to hang out, and laid back shopping. Some of the people there gave me quite a stare down as I walked past them, but it doesn't bother me nearly as much as it did in the beginning.
*Dalianland, the small province located around iCafe, a country smaller than any Rhode Island's post office. Here many magical things occur such as what is called Personality Glamour, or Character Judgement Haze, also Warm Fuzzy Feelings, and seeds of Friendship are planted. Also Miss Communication is the prevailing royal entity, and her jester is...well we won't go into that right now. Miss Communication is a close friend to Miss Understood, and they do their best to confuse and befuddle the inhabitants of Dalianlandians. The inhabitants all throw off their own personal glamour, which makes first impressions a snap, but hindsight a doozy. So when you think you know someone, you realize hey that's just not the case.
Think I'll go back to Lalaland, where its much nicer and people stay good.
Thanks Life, you are such a great teacher, but can I take off my dunce cap now?
I'm gonna grumble a little more about growing up now. I don't like being wrong about people, and when I make a judgment it's normally the one I stick to...for good or bad. (Mostly good) But when I'm proved wrong, and I see that someone is not a good person, I'm like an old helium balloon on its last leg. I sink down, and give up a little on mankind. Generally, I like everybody, and rarely do I look at someone and think, "Nah, not worth my time". My snap judgements are being proved wrong more and more now, not for the better, and I admit...I'm feeling kinda low on goodwill towards...people.
And on that happy note, I'm gonna go make some tea and not think about how much I could just use a familiar face and a nice hug.
No comments:
Post a Comment