Connect the Dots

Sitting in a McDonald's in Guangzhou, on an early foggy morning, after a very uncomfortable overnight bus ride from Beihai, I reflect on the five weeks that have passed since our arrival in Shanghai. Our first foray into this American chain restaurant, for anything more than a bathroom, seems a fitting end to the last twelve hours.

I watch the now-familiar "only-child" syndrome play out before me: a boy no older than five has double fistfuls of plastic straws; he is entranced by the lever-mechanism that continues to spit out one after another after another. The McDonald's cashier is delighted, the father is buying a set of two plastic toys that emit songs at a haze-shattering volume, and my coffee cup is empty again. 

My mind wanders to visiting McDonald's as a child: the happy meals, dipping hot greasy fries in soft-serve ice cream, paper placemats with games and puzzles, and the seemingly endless pit of hollow plastic balls. The memories are as vivid as the visits were infrequent. 

Do you remember McDonald's placemats with games? I recall mazes, coloring, connect the dots, and maybe even the occasional geographic or historical fact.

Our journey through China has been like a game of "Connect the Dots." Each learned experience or insight is a particular point that, when combined, creates a constellation of dots. Points can be connected by a line(s) to form an image - but the image shifts and morphs depending on the number and pattern of points, and according to the influence of personal perspective. At four points, the image is a rock, though you might see a moon. At ten points, I see a lantern, twenty-five a rabbit, one hundred and twenty a tiger, and so on.

"If Chinese conversation always sounds like an argument, place a dot at E6."
Check.

"Are bottom sleepers a terrible idea on an overnight bus? If so, place a dot at B2."
Check.

"If KFC's in China are as common as Walgreen's in the United States, place a dot at 3A."
Check.

"If you can order nearly anything off of a menu at a Chinese restaurant and be wowed, dot at D1."

Check.

"Can overly spicy food in Hunan province give you digestive turbulence? E1."
Check.

"Do smiles and unexpected generosity abound in China? C5."
Check.

"Does stinky tofu really taste as delicious as they say? D4"
Not sure...maybe I'll add that point today.

The image changes every hour, every day, every minute. This truly is an amazing gift discovered through travel and exploration. And guess what, if you can't ever connect the dots to an image that you recognize, then ask someone else. They are sure to have a suggestion that adds yet another dot.

xox
brittany