Lauren is Wearing a Hat?

Before I leave Taiwan and take you to Beijing, I need to explain to you the story of the hats.  It needs an explanation, because if you know me at all you might be wondering why it is you've seen pictorial references to me with hats perched atop my head region.  Because--if you know me at all--you know that I am traditionally opposed to large accessories that require perching of any kind.

So here is the simplest explanation I can give: 

The sun in Taiwan is brutal. 

It was out to get me.  

It defied the moisturizer laced with sunblock that I have previously found sufficient.  

And it thought that because I was a foreigner it could trick me into wrinkling.

Little did that Taiwanese sun know who it was messing with.

I attacked back, with this:

It was, however, a mistake.  

I looked like a duck-billed platypus.  

I was completely self-conscious.  

Not to mention, it's a wrap around hat.  

There is no top to it, 

so the top of my head was still exposed to that sun, 

who really only wanted to give me skin cancer on my scalp in the first place. 

So I tried again:

Scalp covered? Check.

But a problem, still.

The problem with this hat was that the brim covered none of my face. My poor (and rather pointy) nose was exposed to the hatred of that sun, and this I could not have.  

Not to mention, I looked a bit like a mushroom.

So, at this point in the story, let's re-cap: 

Hat #1: "This hat exposes my scalp!"

Hat #2: "This hat exposes my nose!"

But, soon enough....

 "This hat is just right!"

Hat # 3.

A top.  A brim.  

And cheap. 

Take that Sun.

This hat & I were meant to be.