Greetings

One of the strangest things I have encountered here are women who, I believe, issue greetings.

When you arrive at some of the airports in China, you are greeted by women who show absolutely no emotion. They sound like robots. It's like you hear someone say something, you turn, and look, and the woman looks right through you, like you are not even there. Like she has not said a thing. It's really weird.

Today I had a similar experience. I heard a woman say something, so I turned to look and caught her as she was finishing her sentence. She made a short bow, but didn't look directly at me. I smiled at her, but I got no love back.

So I kept walking. But YP was behind me, following up on something for me, and I wanted to ask her a question. So I walked back by the woman who issued the greeting - and bam! - she did it again. Same little bow. Same lack of expression.

And then I decided to have some fun. I proceeded to walk by her two more times. Each time she issued the greeting and bowed. It was as if her manager said, "every time someone crosses this imaginary line, you greet them."

I think he must have forgotten to say, "you don't need to say it again and again to the same person."