Movie Stars for 10 minutes

On Tuesday, we went down to the police station to renew our residence permits. When we returned home, a friend called to say that the police station is making a movie on Friday and they wanted our family to be in it.

Hubs politely declined since he had an important appointment on Friday afternoon. Our friend told us that this was one of those times that we could not say, “No.”

Apparently, all we was wear Senna in the Ergo and look lost in Old Town. A kind policeman would tell us where to go.

Simple enough.

This morning, we were told to be ready at 9:20. At 10am, the police came in a van that seats 50.

We all went to the police station to sit for about 30 minutes while everything was arranged.

Then, we drove 30 minutes to Old Town.

It was 11am.

(Hubs was guarding the time. He had a 1 o’clock appointment.)

They gave Hubs a backpack, a map, and told us where to stand.

Then, the S.W.A.T. arrived with two drug dogs.

“Hubs! What if there are drugs in the backpack they asked you to wear? What if this is a showdown on what happens to foreigners who use drugs in China?”

No. Not so exciting.

After filming the S.W.A.T. team’s grand entrance, we began our scene:

A S.W.A.T. team member came up to crazy foreign family looking lost while reading a map. Then, we asked the policeman a series of questions until the director was happy:

Where are we? “Here”
Where is the lake? “Down this road.”
Where can we go to climb a mountain? “Go to this gondola”
Where are the best restaurants? “Along the river.”
Where is the famous church? “Um. Down this road.”
Where are the Terra Cotta Soldiers? “Beijing.” (Colleague elbows him and whispers, “Xi’an!”)

And cut.

That’s a wrap.

We took a group photo and then…

all went out to lunch.

The kids begged and begged for more fried pork rinds.

Hubs made it to his 1 o’clock.
Senna made it home in time for a nap.

Bonus: we made 2 new friends who work in the visa office.