Julia’s College Fund

We’ve figured out how to raise Julia’s college fund. No, it’s not a 529 plan, mutual funds, or savings bonds. All we have to do is leverage the attention she gets just walking down the street.

First, to fully grasp the potential of this business venture you have to know WeChat. WeChat is a Chinese phone app used for everything. Think texting, phone calls, FaceTime, Instagram, Apple Pay and internet browser all rolled into one. That’s WeChat. We use it nonstop, but most importantly to pay for anything and everything. Virtually every business, including street vendors, has a unique WeChat QR code that you scan with the app that’s linked to your bank account, and voila, transaction done.

The idea is Julia has her own WeChat QR code on her shirt that people scan if they want to take her photo. We wouldn’t charge much, honestly we wouldn’t have to. 5 RMB (70 cents) a pop, perhaps more if you want a selfie. It’s brilliant actually, people would pay and she could make a small fortune. She was also recruited by a modeling agent who I politely turned down, but I could easily go back. The demand for foreign baby models is quite high and with the addition of the occasional modeling gig, she’d be rolling in it.

All joking aside, the attention Julia and foreign children, particularly those with blonde hair and curls (if she was blessed with Gabe’s blue eyes, then forget it), is incredible. It’s mostly stares, smiles, and the exclamation “kě’ài!” (cute!) or “mèimei!” (younger sister) if the person has an older child with them. Everyone is a mèimei, dìdi (younger brother), gēge (older brother) or jiějie (older sister) here, a byproduct of the one-child policy. Some people take photos as well, an accepted social norm that’s been the most difficult to wrap my head around. It’s something you’d never see back home. I’ve also been asked if I curl her hair myself, which makes me laugh as I picture myself and all the toddler moms I know finding the time and energy to curl their child’s hair every morning.

An outing to the park with Sofia, one of Julia’s classmates, and her mom Aida turned into a playdate with at least 4 other children and their parents. We joked that we have to find a secret, hidden park next time if we want to avoid the crowds.

There is genuine curiosity and adoration, and the attention is good natured. That being said it can feel a bit overwhelming and bothersome at times. It also prompted me to ask my Chinese teacher what to say if I want someone to stop (“wǒ bù yào” or “I don’t want”) so I at least know the best way to “mama bear” a situation and assert myself if the need arises. I’ve only used it a couple times, when someone tried to pick her up and when a woman was clearly trailing us in the park to snap photos.

Sometimes I wish I had the language skills to converse and engage more. I think it’d change the dynamic or at least how it feels at times, like we are a spectacle. I’m also just curious about what drives the fascination.

Julia, meanwhile, doesn’t seem to care at all. She is unfazed and on occasion we’ve watched her nonchalantly stop to pose for the camera. It’ll be interesting to see if she notices her diminished celebrity and the lack of paparazzi once we are back in the U.S.

Since it’s been awhile, here are a few photos of our latest weekend adventures.

Hai Yun Tai beach, about a 25 minute drive and located in the southeastern part of the island. A nice beach that feels like it’s miles from a big city.

Gabe and Julia outside Xiamen University and insects Julia and Sawyer trick or treating.

Julia being silly on the metro. We’ve also been riding the bus a lot. It’s easy and convenient, you just have to be to hop on and off quickly, like very quickly.

Exploring Danpingshan Park located just over a bridge on the mainland.