The Great Wall of Maya

Today we took a tour of the Ming Tombs and the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall was absolutely amazing. We got to ride this sort of roller coaster thing up to one of the higher points and then walked up it for a bit. Maya was better today. In fact she did very well as it seemed like the entire population of China wanted to have their picture taken with her while we were walking. I think at first she didn't mind but after a while it got taxing and at times it was a little weird because she would literally attract crowds of people. Im VERY glad that I cut off so much of her hair before we left. I can't imagine what it would have been like if she still had her waist length hair. I know they all meant well and were just doing it for good luck but really after a while I felt like I was a child celebrity's body guard. Looking back I feel kind of bad letting so many people take her picture. She wasnt really scared but I know she got tired of it.

The whole thing with her hair is just very odd to me. The reason why it's so popular is because, in Chinese culture, the color red is very lucky. So I think for them Maya is like a living good luck doll and they all want to be next to her, to touch her hair, to be next to this walking symbol of good luck. In the states, people see her hair and do comment on how pretty it is, but it's not like this. Don't get me wrong, Im not insulted or concerned. It's just weird to be in the position of granting picture after picture after picture to people I can't even talk to. Im not so sure about all those dreams I had of being a movie star when I was a kid now lol.