Hi Everyone. Doireann Here-
Being a foreign intern here in China is an experience like no other! Since this country is so vastly huge, tourists in Bifengxia are often from a different part of China. As a result, many local people have never seen foreigners before. This is strikingly obvious by all the confused looks, gasps, points, waves and stares that each of us interns still receive on a daily basis, along with a chorus of “hello”s and “lao wai” (foreigner).
When we first attempted to converse with the local people, our Mandarin phrases were met with a shower of happy giggles. We have practiced a lot, and can now get by with the basics, but we are still perceived as real curiosities! We get countless photos taken of us. Some people ask for photos with us, but some are happy just to have captured the image of a foreign person. It never ceases to amaze me that when we are working with pandas at the base, some tourists get more excited to see and photograph us rather than the pandas!
As you know from intern Hailey’s previous post, we recently went on a trip to Leshang. While the trip and sights were stunning, it was all made more sweet by the fact that the entire 3-day trip was completely free of charge for us! Following a short application process we were selected to visit the touristic Leshang district as KOLs – Key Opinion Leaders. The aim of the trip was to bring 100 foreign people to these attractions as a means of promoting tourism. While we were fascinated to see the 1,000 Buddhas carved into the mountainside, the local people we passed on the way seemed much more fascinated and excited to see 100 people of different ethnicities in their own locality. As well as V.I.P. access to the attractions we we’re treated to 5-star accommodation and dining. It is amazing how highly the local people regard us foreigners here in China. We were so lucky to be part of this KOL trip but we are all very glad now to be back with our beloved pandas.