Watkins (Famille) - Sihpromatum : I grew my boobs in China : a memoir

SIHPROMATUM

I Grew my Boobs in China

Savannah Grace

Published by Sihpromatum Publishing House

Copyright Savannah Grace 2012

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without express, written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may this publication be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Sihpromatum Publishing House

Contact: sihpromatum@gmail.com

Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted material. Your support is appreciated by the author.

Printed and bound in the United States of America

Library and Archives Canada

Cataloguing-in-Publication data

Watkins, Savannah Grace, 1990
Sihpromatum: I grew my boobs in China /
Savannah Grace Watkins

Also issued in electronic format.
ISBN 978-0-9881231-0-6

1. Watkins, Savannah Grace, 1990 Travel China.
2. Watkins, Savannah Grace, 1990 Travel Mongolia.
3. China Description and travel.
4. Mongolia Description and travel.

5. Watkins Family. I. Title.

DS712.W38-2012 915.104611092 C2012-904888-7

ISBN 978-0-9881231-0-6

eBook ISBN [JC2]

ePub 978-0-9881231-1-3

Mobi 978-0-9881231-2-0

Visit our website at

www.sihpromatum.com

Cover photo courtesy of Ammon Watkins 2005

Author photo courtesy of Breanna Watkins 2011

Edited by JoAnn Cleaver

Cover design by Heather UpChurch at www.expertsubjects.com

Interior design by Sihpromatum Publishing House

Back cover write-up by Rhiis Lopez

To Mom, for dragging me around the

globe and making me the person I am today,

and to Kees, for always supporting me

and helping my dreams come true.

Thank you.

Note from the Author

Sihpromatum (Sip-row-may-tum) A blessing that initially appears to be a curse.

I put this book together with significant prompting from blogs, postcards, family reminiscences, and extensive journal entries.

Some original blog entries and postcards are reproduced directly in the book and identified by double stars. **

Some names were changed to protect the innocent.

Join our journey and check out photos along the way at www.sihpromatum.com

Map Legend 05/05/05 23/07/05

Dotted lines = Flights

Solid Lines = Travel by bus or train.

Dots =Places where we slept or spent time.

1. Stop over Seoul.

2. Starting Point Hong Kong with Sandra

3. Yangzhou

4. Kunming Stone Forrest

5. Lijiang with Granny

6. Lost in the Tiger Leaping Gorge

7. Emei Shan Sacred Mountain

8. Panda Sanctuary nearby Chengdu

9. Songpan three day Horse trek

10. Three day Yangzi boat cruise

11. Xian Terra Cotta Warriors

12. Beijing and Great Wall of China

13. Ulaanbaatar

14. Two week loop with Baagii

15. One week excursion with Future

16. Stuck in the Gobi Desert

17. Train headed to Russia

Prologue

His elongated shadow seemed to be one of the few anchors left in the desert.

Do you think Future will come back? I whispered to the solitary camel standing beside the van. My words expressed doubt, if only for a moment, wondering if our Mongolian guide had just abandoned us. But no. He was also our friend, and I knew we were all in this together.

Hell come back. I guess Mom had been listening, and she affirmed my gut instinct about Future. If he can, he will.

If he can, I echoed with a profound sense of foreboding.

Her words reminded me of the seriousness of our situation. This wasnt just a game. It was real life, and I was all too aware of the perils we faced. Reaching toward the camel, I placed my open palm against the dusty window. Gazing into eyes that resembled golden flakes of sand framed with lavish dark lashes, a strange connection sparked between us. Maybe I was looking for reassurance of some kind or to somehow humbly share his intimate knowledge of the desert. My attention was diverted to my hand at that point and I thought it should have been sweaty or at least a bit moist against the glass, but I was already severely dehydrated. Every nail bed and wrinkle was caked with dirt. What happened to you, Savannah? I wondered, crinkling my forehead. This was not the me I remembered. Where on earth did you go? I asked myself.

Chapter 1

Like, Totally

It was May 5 th , 2005 and I was reluctantly boarding a plane bound for Hong Kong. A whole new life was waiting for me, one I had absolutely no interest in living. As I took a cramped seat next to the window, I asked myself, what the heck happened to get me to this point? Listening to the pilots confirmation of our destination, my young heart spun in my chest. As the engines roared and readied for take-off, my mind rewound five months to the last time I had enjoyed a final glimpse of normality before the turmoil of my deteriorating world hit me like a sledge hammer.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Savannah, where are you? I heard Kelly say, but she didnt mean it literally. A lot had been on my mind since my parents separation, but the waving hand in my face brought me back with a start.

Yah, you should totally get the pink one. That is so sexy, I said reflexively, noticing her well-developed figure.

She lunged through the hangers to reach for the last hot-pink T-shirt on the rack. Tidying herself and tucking loose red locks behind her ear, Kelly babbled on excitedly, Hey, so did I tell you? I, like, totally found some receipts on my parents dresser, and I am, like, almost one hundred percent sure my daddys getting me an Infiniti G35 Coupe for my Sweet Sixteenth!!

Oh, wow, I simply said, trying to perfect the Oh yah, that expensive thing, I know exactly what youre talking about tone in two words, and I think it worked. She had no idea that Ihad no idea what, exactly, she was talking about.

Terri was in the change room, and I felt slightly abandoned being left alone with this Kelly person. Because I was shy and had attended so many different schools, I didnt have a whole lot of friends. My title was always the same The New Kid. As soon as Id start to fit in, wed move again. Our little outing with Kelly was actually Terris way of helping me to expand my circle of friends. Terri, with her tanned skin and dark, thick hair that came to her waist, was the JiminyCricket on my shoulder, the combined angel/devil, a sister from another lifetime my best friend.

Youre so lucky. Im totally jealous, I said, playing it cool and trying not to look too desperate or low class.

Oh, shut up! Im sure your parents will get you something amazing. You just have to wait two more years! I couldnt tell if she was mocking me or not. Could she really be that mean? Or is she simply clueless? She didnt seem to grasp the effect her words had on me. Is it my own insecurity? I looked inquisitively at her with slightly narrowed eyes. Does she feel superior because shes older and getting her drivers license? Or is she taking a jab at me cause she knows my parents could never afford to buy me a car, let alone a Mercedes?