Camera bashing

I've been hauling around a 500-ton suitcase for three weeks. I've eaten things that I swear I've found growing in my bathroom or at the bottom of a fish tank before. I've hung out with more middle-aged men in the past week than I have in my life. And I've enjoyed it all.

Therefore: I am allowed one tantrum on this trip, and I'm going to throw it right here. If someone takes my picture as I'm standing in a hotel lobby, eating food or just plain doing nothing one more time, I think I might have to lay down on the ground and scream.

After this trip, I have gained at least two insights: 1. The stereotype about the camera happy Japanese is totally true. 2. I have a little more sympathy for celebrities.

I have never had a flash go off in my face so many times in my life. I think I will never cease to see the black spots that are floating in my eyeballs as I type this very second.

They have given us a few rounds of the photos taken so far. I will just treasure them forever. I can see the scrap book titles right now: "The GSE team sits down. The GSE team stands up. Alisha yawns. Erin uses a tooth pick. Beth stars off into space." As we flipped through the heap, Erin and I took to the game of "Who looks the worst."


There is one Rotarian in particular, who literally follows us around and captures every move we make. If you set the kajillion pictures he has taken in a stack and flipped them under your thump, it would make a movie of our trip. And let me tell you, it would probably win an Oscar. Because many of them are taken as we're doing really fascinating cultural learning experiences, such as opening our mouth to speak. Or looking at our plate. Or taking our suitcase out of a car.


I've started nonchalantly raising a piece of paper in front on my face every time I see this guy lift his camera, which by the way, he could probably use to kill a large rat. If I see him coming, it's all I can do to run the other way.

Okay I'm being rude, but that is part of throwing a tantrum. And if I get one, I'm going to make the most of it.

I can't help but wonder, what is he going to do with 50 million photos of five people he will probably never see in his life? (Ok, I'm exaggerating a bit. The actual number of photos he's taken is 5,893,092).

Lesson learned: I wouldn't make a very good celebrity.