Dreary Chicago in March & congested Chicago in May

Things I Miss From Asia

• Markets

• Fresh, cheap, good fruit
• People smiling
• Two people carrying one bag
• People telling me I’m beautiful
• People yelling “I love you” from moving vehicles
• Water Buffaloes
• Pop in glass bottles
• Knowing that the hair in my food is mine because it’s not black
• Taking photos
• Motorbike taxis
• Making decisions day-to-day
• Arriving in a new town
• Reading maps
• Riding local buses
• Meeting new people
• Lack of media saturation
• Not knowing what’s going on in the world
• Getting up early for good reasons (like the sunrise)
• Not knowing what time/day/month it is
• Wearing sandals
• Knowing that it will be clear and sunny every day
• Brooms
• Pineapple shakes
• Street vendors and food stalls
• Well-behaved children

Things I Don’t Miss From Asia

• Plastic bag litter

• People spitting
• People flinging their snot
• Packing my bag
• Bargaining
• No fixed prices
• Foreigner prices
• Clothes that are too small for me
• Being asked where I’m from
• Being told “America is #1”
• People telling me I’m beautiful
• Mosquitoes
• Sweating
• Doing math to convert currencies
• Taking photos
• Dirty feet
• Dodging touts, drivers and money changers
• Learning the same phrases in a new language every three weeks
• BBC World News
• Counterfeit everything
• Paying more for visas because I’m American
• Being called “Madam”
• Lying about being alone, where I’m staying etc.
• Drinks in plastic bags
• Papaya
• Trying to explain why America reelected Bush

Things I Had to Get Used To Upon My Return

• Receipts

• Tax
• Driving
• Speed limits
• Price tags
• Eating with a fork
• Cutting food
• Handing people things with my left hand
• Sports coverage
• Local news
• Low humidity
• Putting toilet paper in the toilet
• Not hoarding small bills
• Socks

Since I have been home I have thought of a number of things to do with my time. One thing that seemed promising was being an extra in a movie. More than anything, I thought it would be a good opportunity to observe the movie making process in person.

There are a number of productions shooting in Chicago this summer. However, the production I was most interested in was Il Mare staring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Some of you may know that I started following Keanu’s career back in the late 80’s when he stared in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure after his small, but lovable role in the hockey movie Youngblood. This was my chance to finally see him in person.

The casting hotline provided information for extras and I mailed in my photograph and details. Two days later I received a phone call asking me to be an extra. Unfortunately, I already had plans and had to decline. Two days later they called again and asked me to come down the next day. My neighbor had been coincidentally cast as well so we arrived in the Loop Tuesday morning together.

The first few hours were spent sitting around, filling out forms and getting dressed by wardrobe. We were shooting a Fourth of July scene and I was dressed in a short silk skirt, short sleeved top and flip flops. Soon we were called out onto Wacker Drive to serve as “background” and told to leave our coats behind. For the next five hours we walked up and down bridges while Sandra Bullock or Keanu Reeves walked around us. Although the official temperature was 45°f (7°c) the wind blowing from Lake Michigan up the Chicago River and through the bridges was brutal. At times my body was so cold I no longer felt the wind and other times my muscles shivered uncontrollably.

All the cold was worth the last scene of the day when I was placed ten feet behind Keanu on the LaSalle Street drawbridge. The director yelled “background!” and I walked toward him and the camera. Unlike previous scenes that day the director had us reset and ended up with five or six takes. I was prepared to walk behind Keanu all night if needed but we wrapped and arrived home by ten pm. Aside from the cold it was a great day and unforgettable experience.