Please no dripping...

Memorable words from Big Dance. I was chatting with A DL alum whom I recently met, who has worked in China and has a business there. Qi comes up, introduces himself, and asks, "Is it true in China, when guys from here go back there, they have women dripping all over them? ...I mean, like literally d-r-i-p-p-i-n-g . . ."

Huh... I'm thinking to myself. I thought the gender ratio would be in favor of women not dripping. More wonderings... is this so with Chinese Americans, or white guys, or Chinese returnees, or all?

So the topic goes on to the "corrupting" nature of being an expat in China. Ugh, images of weird high-class places where women come up to talk to guys, sit on their laps, and they can fondle them. What?! If I went to China now, would I still get phone calls in the 5-star hotels every night from women who hang up at the sound of a female voice saying "Hello"?

So I wanted to know what it would be like for a female "expat" engineer instead of male business-type person. Apparently, it's not corrupting for females. Okay then.

The topic also touched upon the lack of culture and art, except perhaps in a little enclave in Beijing. Not my image of Shanghai... it should be the New York City of China. So this is all coming from one expat's viewpoint.

And the notion that being an expat is conducive to "romance." Expats just find each other, get together, and then separate. The term Casa Blanca was used. I saw that movie once, and I don't get it. Is it like a surreal world people live in when they live in a foreign country?

One odd person who had lived here for many years told me once that American money was like fake money, like Monopoly money. Huh? Just because it's a different look and a different environment? And after so many years, like one-third of his lifetime? Okay so I've never lived long term in another country, but I've traveled quite a bit and never have I thought of anything during my trips as fake, including money, and especially people. Interestingly, I got the feeling that relationships were also these dream-like surreal love affairs in this wonderland.

Dude. America is real. China is real. Everything is real. I would consider any place one lives (for more than a year) to be home.

***

Anyway, so in other news... Big Dance yesterday. The guy from Starlite who asked me for 5 dances in a row both times I went to Starlite actually did show up to see our performance and dance. Converting, or at least introducing more people from "ballroom" to "social" and "vintage" dance would be a wonderful thing. As it is now, sadly the other day I was thinking, gee, there are really only about a dozen guys (in the world) who know how to lead the type of dancing that we do at a high level of skill and artistry. And only about half of those whose personalities are more comfortably compatible.

I don't think the undergrads who asked me to dance knew I'm probably about ten years older then they are. Dancing with the newbies is quite fun.