spending face

i am afraid to write about this again. i don't want to bore you with the same topics, but there is something so neat and interesting about chinese culture that i experience so much stronger when i run. i told you the first couple times i ran, i would smile at people and barely get any smiles back. well, i mentioned that to my roommate who has lived here for 7 years, and she said it's completely cultural. it's their way of "saving face". she said they don't smile and try not to show any emotion on their face, because if they did, it would put them in a vulnerable place. she said the fact that i can smile with no fear of anyone's response to me symbolizes freedom. 

so, with that conversation and two runs under my belt, i went out again yesterday for a morning jog. it was so neat. i made a point to try and make eye contact with almost every person i passed. each person that i came up on was completely stone faced, and although some of them remained that way the entire time i smiled at them, some of their countenances completely change. it took them a few moments, but when they saw i was not going to quit smiling, they couldn't fight it and would start to show a small grin. others seemed as though they were waiting for someone to give them a reason to smile. they smiled so big, with no fear. it was so precious. it was like we were connecting on a level deeper than language. it was like i was giving them something. i don't know. they probably all think i'm crazy, the serial smiler. but it makes me want to run, run, run. i wish i had a head cam or something, so you could see what i see. it's so cool.