dark roots at the hairline!!

Firstly thank all you readers again for your positve comments and encouragement. Welcome too to Chinese
Readers who have now joined the ranks and are clicking 'in' to my news and views. Special thanks to one of
my students who has kindly shown me how to link myself on to view my blog and hopefully from now on, as I
now be able to edit, there will be no further 'typos'. As to the promised uploading of photographs, be patient,
they will soon follow.

As I have already mentioned in the past, it is not only the way that we look at the Chinese, but the way that they
look at us in return. As an EFL (english as a foreign language teacher) of some years, I am quite used to the
being asked strange or unexpected questions. More often than not, I find it incredulous the questions that I am
asked as to the form and structure of the english language. I personally agree that some of the grammar in the
anglo-saxon tongue sounds as if it was constructed by a Viking, but nevertheless the thought process and time
and energy that is put into some of these questions, often leaves me astounded!

So, back to my point. Here I am pointing out the idiosyncrsies that I see or come across daily, but the curiosity of
the Chinese and there clear unabashfullness to ask personal or pointed questions, sometimes leaves me sitting
(usually, as I am teaching) with a surprised look in my eye, as well as a red face!! Of course always priding myself
on being open and honest, almost unshockable, from the point of being able to hold a discussion on any subject,
I was caught off guard at a recent lesson, when a student asked me pointedly why the roots of my hair were a
darket color than the rest of my blonde locks!!

Now, I ask you, how would you have reacted to such a question. Please let me firstly set you the picture. It was
during the lesson break of a two and a quarter hour lesson, my class of five, three male and two females had gone
off either to get a drink or take a breather. I was sitting in the room alone with two of the pupils, (all are adults over
the age of 28) a male and female, when the latter faced me and asked this question point blank. To make sure that
I understood her question, she repeated it to her colleague in Chinese, who then resaid it in another form of English.
The meaning though of course, being the same.

Blustering, I am sure, I tried one tactic unsuccessfully and then another, Before I enlighten you with my reply, salt
was further added to the wound, when having completed my explanation, the rest of the class returned, only to have
the question repeated by another in the name of the first student. To which I replied in haste, that I had already
explained the answer to the enquiry and we should continue. Talk about embarrassment!

So for all you hair dyers, male and female (that may even include feline considering the state of the 'toy' pets here),
beware before you board the plane for the Olympic circuit or vacation, as you pass your camera to a citizen, as they
are their eye is pressed to the lens, they are not wondering if they have you in the correct frame, but whether you
dye your hair or not!!!!

(You didn't really think that I would tell you what I said, did you? Some secrets should remain that way; but I
guarantee that I will be more heedful of my roots from now on!).