Elephant People

The past few days have had a strange vibe. A few days ago, upon leaving our hotel, Annimal got mad. Like, REALLY mad. The hotel wanted to charge us 30 RMB for a towel that they said we had ruined (but we didn’t). Frustrated at the prospect of getting ripped off, the wrath of The Annimal came out in full force. Annimal wasn’t mean or disrespectful- she was just angry. I

watched as she made a warranted scene in the lobby, showing the smug, snobby receptionist the wet towel, then throwing it down with force onto the hard tile with a loud, startling THUD.

‘Get it, girl’ I thought as I lounged on the lobby couch, watching the scene play out. Nobody messes with The Annimal.  

As we walked out of the Rip-Off Hotel, Ann expressed that she felt bad for going ape-shit. She said she’s never yelled at anyone like that before, nor has she ever been so angry. I told her that she shouldn’t feel bad at all; she had every right to be angry about being forced to pay an unwarranted fee. The receptionist was being unreasonable and awful (she had called Ann a few not-so-nice names). I love watching Ann find her voice and learn to stand up for herself, even if that means she has to get mad. Maybe it’s an American thing. Maybe it’s a strong woman thing. Either way, it’s a beautiful thing.

We have been going through the mountains in RURAL China. Like, the-whole-village-poops-in-the-same-hole-in-the-ground kind of rural. The positive side of this is finding unique artisans. A few days ago we stopped at a tiny shack for a rest after going over a mountain. The owners turned out to be beekeepers. Honeybees buzzed around us as we rested and took pictures. The laoban let us try some of their honey, which was absolutely delicious. I was excited to try their product not only because I love honey, but also to cure my ailments. An old wise tale (and a young-at-heart, wise Corkie) says that honey can help with allergies. We have been walking through mazes of

beautiful back roads that wind through fields of Cole flowers, stretching as far as the eye can see. The Cole flowers of Jiangxi are an amazing sight to see, but a miserable one if you’re allergic to the fuckers. (I did my best. I can’t not say it. It’s just so liberating. Try it. Say it out loud. Right now. It just feels. so. good. Also, It's good for you)

Yesterday we stopped in a small village for a late lunch and came upon an old woman standing in front of HUGE vats. Another artisan dedicated to her craft, she makes and sells mijiu- rice liquor. We followed her to her laboratory-like shack where she cooks the rice for the liquor. There were large baskets of steaming rice all around the entrance and a large pile of rice inside of the thresh hold. She showed us the huge brick vat where she cooks the rice. We went back across the path to her shop and she let us sample the mijiu. I took one sip, grimaced, coughed, and immediately took another sip. It was the most delicious jet fuel I’ve ever tasted. The woman told Annimal that the mijiu is 50% alcohol. No shit. We bought three bottles.

When we finally reached our destination town last night, we saw a large group of people gathered on the sidewalk, so we stopped to see what the commotion was. It turned out to be a group of people with disabilities doing a show. In a way, it was similar to a circus sideshow (“Come one, come all! Seeee the amazing Elephant Mannnnnn! Just five dollars will buy you a glimpse of this freak of nature!”). Close to one hundred people were gathered around to look at the people with disabilities. Out in front of the ‘performers’ there was a big box for people to donate money. The group consisted of a woman in a wheelchair, a blind man, and a few very short men who appeared to have disfigured spines. These men sat in small chairs and moved by rocking their wooden chairs side to side whilst leaning forward. One performer, a small man in a wooden chair, spotted me in the crowd and smiled at me. I smiled back and waved. A few more of the people in the show spotted me and stared. The first man began wobbling his chair in our direction. I walked to meet him halfway, bumping people in the crowd with my awkwardly large backpack like Forrest running through the crowd to meet Jenny. When we reached each other I held out my hand. He took it in his and smiled up at me.

I smiled, too. I think we were best friends in another life because we became instant friends in this life. Another one of the men in the show came over to me. I shook his hand and he kissed mine. Our precious moment ended when I looked up to see hundreds of eyes on me. The attention was no longer on the show; I was now the sideshow and I didn't like it. The crowd closed in around me. Claustrophobia set in and I took deep breaths, trying to locate Annimal, who was 5 yards away. She was having her own precious moment, bending down to talk to the woman a wheelchair who was the MC. As people inched closer to me, shutting out my new friends, and began reaching out to feel my skin, I put on my best “yes, I’m a foreigner. No, I’m not having a panic attack” face and called Annimal over to save me. She answered a few questions for the swarm of people, then decided it was time to go. We were unintentionally stealing the show. We said goodbye to our new friends and left as hundreds of eyes

followed us.

Annimal said that the woman in the wheelchair had shared their story with her. They are a group of ten people with disabilities who put on their act as a source of income since no factories or companies will hire them. She said they live together and take care of each other. Through tears, Ann had told our story to the woman, who offered an abundance of gratitude as she wept, too. We had such beautiful moments with these people, bonded by gratitude and compassion. It was truly an amazing moment that I’ll never forget as long as I live.