Tourist in Your Own Country

Roughing it seaside

Someone smart once said that you should never become a tour guide in your hometown.  Truer words were never spoken.  The tired, old places and things that have long sensed blended into the background of memory might make wonderful and exciting sights for a first time visitor.  By that logic, I probably wasn't the best tour guide for my girlfriend's first trip to the United States.  I made sure to mitigate her expectations before the trip.  She watches a lot of American TV shows, and I felt the need to prepare her for visiting the midwest.  She seemed disappointed when we had "the talk" about a week before we left for America.  Basically I told her Rachel and Ross lived in New York, which is tall, and we were going to Indiana which is very spread out.  I also made sure to stress the fact that unlike the entire cast of Friends, not all Americans are white and look alike (sometimes I get Ross and Joey and Phoebe and Rachel confused).  

Please don't feed the birds

At Naval Air Museum 

Classic jumping photo

The trip went well for a few reasons.  Most women like to shop.  It's sexist but true, and Indiana has some great outlet malls.  I owe my aunt a debt of gratitude for taking Tang Qi to the outlet mall so I didn't have to do it.  Tang Qi enjoyed meeting my family and learning the local dialect of English.  This was great for me.  It lessoned the financial burden on my wallet, and we didn't need to make expensive excursions to New York or Chicago.  However, I did reach a point during my family vacation to Florida when I priced airfare for an early return to China.  This feeling eventually lessened though never really passed, but Tang Qi had so much fun that I couldn't really have left even if I wanted to.  Our two day trip to visit New Orleans let us spend some time with the laid back part of the family and greatly reduced my stress levels.                

Everyone thinks they're a DJ

At Deanie's 

Pacer's Game

Classic Rosie

Another great tourist attraction was of course the food.  Despite my failed attempts at hyping American-Chinese food, she seemed to really like American food.  It was nice to finally lay the myth of homogenous American cuisine to bed.  While living in China, I have been constantly bombarded with Chinese culinary propaganda about the diversity of the food here.  Really it's about half true, but it's made me realize just how diverse the food in the United States is compared to other countries.  Tang Qi had a great time exploring the restaurants.  Her favorite was the oyster bar, imaginatively named Oyster Bar, we ate at in Pensacola, FL.  

Classic couple photo

French Quarter Highlight

Where are all the people?

America made for a great vacation destination, letting Tang Qi meet my family, explore somewhere new, and enjoy a slower pace of life.  I got my "freedom fix" by reading news that wasn't government propaganda, and I enjoyed the "American Renaissance" that I've missed out on while living in China.  Catching up with old friends was a great end to my trip to America.  Though my liver didn't really like the affordability of American bars.  

Getting on the right track

I always tell others that it's the people in a place that actually make it worth visiting.  The Grand Canyon is just a hole in the ground, the really interesting part is the Native Americans and others who call the area home.  New Orleans would just be a swamp below sea level if it didn't have the amazing Creole, French, Spanish, African, Cajun, and American culture that make it such a unique and vibrant melting pot.  And Indiana would just be a bunch of emptiness without the people who call it home.