Flying with Chinese 'children'

My first clue should have been the long line for a picture in front of the fake airport background and the crowd laughing as their pictures as they came out of the printer.  As I walked by I tried to picture grown American men posing in front of a fake airplane at the airport - and waiting in line to do it!  Turns out I would be flying from Yangshuo to Xi'an with this group.

As I walked to my seat I could see my row and quickly glanced to see if I had neighbors.  I could feel everyone's stares as I made my way down the aisle.  I sat down and could hear them asking each other if I spoke Chinese.  Finally one asked me in sort of English.  They asked where I was from.  These weren't guys I felt like practicing my Chinese with.  Usually the stares, pictures, hellos, and uncomfortable conversations are easily escapable while I'm out and about.  This time I was trapped.  I was one of 3 foreigners on the plane and the only one in my section of the airplane. I could tell by their mannerisms that they had never been on an airplane before and probably never on a trip before.  It was a group of about 30 men and women.   I couldn't tell if everyone thought the guys I was sitting next to were lucky or if it was just some kind of freak show they couldn't stop watching.  A woman came back and took our picture.  I tried to bury myself deep in my book and my iPod.

Luckily their attention was not just on me.  They were taking lots of pictures of the flight attendants and were REALLY pissing them off.  The flight attendants grabbed their cameras and deleted the pictures.  This happened during the entire flight.  They were like children that never learned.  I felt sorry for the flight attendants and heard one tell them to stop because this was her job and she was trying to work.

With our meal there was a little thing of jelly for the roll.   They had a hard time figuring out that you use the bent corner to peel back the top.  When they figured out a way to open it they ate the jelly with their finger or a spoon.

They drank an unusual amount of coffee.  I rarely see Chinese drinking coffee and this group drank pots of it.   I wanted to try some to see what the flight attendants were putting in it.  More likely they've never had it before and it was like tasting chocolate for the first time.

Then we landed and were taxi'ing.  Nearly everyone in my section got up as soon as we touched the ground.  It took longer than it should have for the flight attendants to tell them to sit down.  In true Chinese fashion when it was actually time to get off the plane it was a mad dash for the door.   I thought the guy next to me was going to rip off my seat belt.

Though they were highly annoying I was fascinated by this group of adults essentially acting like children. I wonder if there is a group of people in the US that has never been on a plane before and would act like this their first time. Or maybe I've done this too many times to find anything worth being amazed by while I'm traveling in the air.