LAR-WEI! (Lijiang)

Foreigner!

THE FOUR year old ran across the laneway in the dark - pausing when he reached my ankles. His eyes travelled up my legs, past my t-shirt up to my face. His eyes widened...

LAR-WEI! LAR-WEI!

I suppose it is normal for a four-year old to do this. We drill them through all kinds of identification exercises - dog, cat, mouse, chicken, horse, square, circle, foreigner, opressive dictator, dodecahedron etc.

However, after 10 days in China, enduring the endemic racist xenophobia that is natural to this country - I really wasn't in the mood.

There is something about this phrase that echoes and bounces around inside your head. To cope with this - Kathryn and Jo have decided to make a techno dance track. Something along the lines of "Boom Ch Boom Ch - Lar-wei! Lar-wei!" Or maybe they've just had too much sugar.