Traveling around the world is amazing! We get to see so much and discover more of what God has created. We get to dive into different cultures and start to understand them a little deeper. We are able to fellowship with many people and make connections wherever we go.
However, being an American with blonde hair and blue eyes, I tend to stand out a little more within these cultures. My complexion is like a beacon for everyone to see, and, since they do not see Americans like me every day, I become the next celebrity.
Now if you know me, I have never intended to be famous in any way. I like to work behind the scenes and let the real actors take the stage. However, here I am in multiple cultures taking pictures with too many people to count. I am honestly curious how many pictures of my face are now scattered all over this world.
Here are just a few of the MANY “famous” stories from China, Nepal, and India:
CHINA:
The first of this glorious life, Elijah and I were riding on a train in China to our next destination. We sat across from a businessman who was happy to tell us all about his life. His English was broken, but we were still able to understand. Not far into our ride, this man decided to buy us some bottled tea to drink. Wow, what a treat! As the train carried us farther, another man came to join our seats. This man didn’t speak any English and we were able to roughly translate through our other friend. He often took candid pictures of us/me throughout the ride. This man too decided to buy us a drink. We were now in a liquid overflow!
As everyone was buying ice cream one evening, Elijah and I decided to save our money for another day. However, a lady saw we didn’t have any ice cream, so she bought us some anyway! What a treat!
Anytime we took the bus somewhere in Zhangzhou, all phones were facing our direction. There was no doubt they were taking pictures of us. Also, some would turn around to “take a selfie” and make sure we were somewhere in the background.
One day our host family took us to a museum. Little did we know that we would become the museum’s main attraction! It started with one person asking for a photo and then a line of 20 people wanting to take a photo of us!
After missing our training and having to wait 8 more hours, my team decided to play a few card games at the station. While we were huddled in a circle minding our own business, a group of onlookers stood around us. We were surrounded by so many people, and since we were sitting on the floor, it seemed like they were towering over us. Some came by to take pictures and videos of and with us. Some stood at a distance with their phones raised toward us. We were clearly being watched!
One day our team went out to find dinner and found a little hole in the wall place. As we were waiting, a group of kids came over wanting to take pictures of all of us. They were so nervous at first and then as time went on, they were practically pushing each other to take a picture. They were shooed out of the room while we ate, but, once we were done, it was a photoshoot once more. Their parents came in the room as well to take pictures and would squeeze in the picture as much as they could. Some took selfies with us and some handed the phone over to take a picture with us. It was a lot of smiles, peace signs, and goofy faces!
NEPAL:
In Kathmandu, every foreigner was approached by a salesman whether they were just passing through the streets or actually looking inside the shops. Oftentimes, we would start up conversations with many of these salesmen and then ultimately be invited inside their shop to have some tea and chat. One day, as Sarah and I were late to a meeting, we stopped to talk to a man who was rubbing his leg. He didn’t really speak much English, but we asked to pray for his leg. This man quickly brought us up to his carpet shop to take a seat and talk even though we couldn’t quite understand each other. Did I say we were late to our meeting? Stuck and wondering how we could leave without being rude, we sat and talked. The man left us to sit up there alone as he went in search for a drink for us, and, on his return, he poured each of us a glass. I guess we will just have to be late.
Another time while we were walking the streets, a man from Tibet came up to us and said he had seen us before! What? He recognized us from a TickTock video that was taken while we were worshipping on the mountain in Tibet!!! He said it brought him a lot of peace! Are we famous, or what?
INDIA:
Since we were not in a very touristy place, everywhere we walked there were people asking to take a picture. Many times, we would be in a park or historical site and wouldn’t make it 5 feet before someone came up to us. There would often be huge groups all wanting a picture with us. Rebecca would often drag us away from the crowds, however there was no stopping it. We would barely have a break in the crowd before someone else would come wanting a picture.
The metro system was a great tool for transportation around the city. We took it almost every single day. When going through security, women have to go through this enclosed area with curtains to be scanned by a guard while the men are scanned on the other side. I was the last of our group to go through one day, and, as I entered the room, the officer didn’t even scan me for dangerous items. She just looks at me, says something in Hindi, then holds up her hands like a telephone. She wanted to take a picture with me in the security box! WHAT!? She left the room to grab her phone, came back and closed the curtains a little tighter. I stepped down from the box to be more at her level, but she decided to step up on it and be taller. This took a lot longer than I thought, and, as I exited, my team asked me if I got strip searched or something, but I didn’t even get searched at all!
When our friends took us to a park, we walked around all day. Near the end, while the sun was setting, we sat down on some steps and watched people in paddle boats on the water. It wasn’t long before a ton of people came by and wanted pictures with us. They sat right in between Jake and I for this photoshoot. It was one person after another. My cheeks started to hurt from smiling and we weren’t sure if it was ever going to end. We physically had to stand up and walk away or more would be coming!
One day, we went to an Imambara and labyrinth with a friend. Upon entering, someone stopped me and asked if he could “play a prank with me.” What did this even mean? He proceeded to explain that we would flip a coin: tales I could slap him and heads I hug him (I thought he said have him). I was very hesitant because I really didn’t understand, but my teammate said, “why not, it’s only a 50/50 chance!” I decided, why not! I won tales three times in a row! I might add, I could not bring myself to slap the man. It’s not in my nature.
We were often invited into many people’s restaurants. One we called the Masala place and the other the Muslim place. At the Muslim place, they only have two things on the “menu,” and, when you order, you just have to hope they heard you correctly. There are also no utensils at this place, your hands are your spoons. While eating, every person in the room is watching us. We even had two people come by wanting to talk to us and take pictures the entire time we ate. There is no privacy eating in these places!
Even at one of the famous Wonders of the World, we had people coming up to us and asking us for a picture with them. The marvelous site was not enough, they needed a few Americans to help capture the view!
Being famous is not easy, and at times becomes a little taxing. However, we always chose to be interrupted and show a little kindness to someone with a camera. You never know, maybe this picture made that person’s day. Maybe when they look back at that moment, they see Jesus.
With Love from Your Traveling Celebrity,
Laura Leigh Armstrong
