It was a long and cold night but we made it through. The next morning I woke up feeling very overwhelmed and alone in a city that I know nothing about and where I can't communicate with anyone. I tried my best to hold myself together. We cleaned our apartment and did laundry hoping that it would make this ice cold apartment feel a little bit more like a home. It didn't really seem to help like I was hoping it would. I finally went into the bathroom to get ready for the day. I pulled out my straightener and went to plug it is but there are zero plugs in the bathroom. Really?! I couldn't believe it and that stupid little thing sent me over the edge. I looked in the mirror and my eyes swelled up with tears. What did I get myself into? I knew it wouldn't be a piece of cake but I didn't know that I would feel so hopeless so close to the beginning of this adventure. I again looked in the mirror and gave myself a little pep talk. I could do this. I LIVE in China. That is awesome! I don't know any of the language and I don't know how to get around but there are people here around me that love me. I may not know them yet but they are here and they will become my second family. After that, I was ready to roll up my pant legs, slap my calves, and take on the day.
Shelby and I decided that we would go try to find Walmart. We needed a few things, like towels and a pillow case. We had pretty good directions and a map so we figured we would be okay. We got onto the bus and ventured toward Walmart. We successfully made it to Walmart with only making one wrong turn. We were pretty proud of ourselves because the map we were using was wrong. (Or maybe we just don't know how to read maps. I wouldn't put it past us.) Walmart was so familiar and we were so happy to see it. Shelby even jumped for joy. Literally jumped. I have never been so happy to see the Great Value brand until it failed us by packaging chicken feet. At that point I had to rethink whether or not I could rely on Great Value.
After Walmart (yes, we may have spent two hours there) we were starving because we hadn't eaten anything all day and it was already 6pm. We wandered around looking for a place to eat. Apparently we were wondering all around the wrong streets in downtown because there were zero restaurants. At first we were looking for a place that had pictures that we could order from but when we finally found a street with lots of restaurants we were disappointed to find that there were no pictures in any of them. At this point we didn't care so we just decided to go in anyways. As soon as we sat down we were handed a menu with only characters that mean nothing to me. We pulled out our trusty little survivor guides and ordered from there. Eight of the nine people in this little restaurant were gathered around our table watching us hopeless Americans trying to order from our survival guide. They found it hilarious but, I will admit, we did look pretty funny and very out of place. Every single person in that crowded little restaurant stared at us while we ate. They were not sneaky about it at all. All eyes were locked on us. I felt like I was up on stage performing in front of people. We must have cracked under pressure because five minutes after we got our food we were handed spoons. Spoons! Really?? The sad part is, I thought I was rocking at the chop sticks. We broke our goal of only using chop sticks because we felt bad and used them out of obligation.
After dinner, since we have nothing but time, we decided that it would be a good idea to get back on the bus where we got off so that we could see how far the bus route goes. It was about 7:30pm and I read online that the last bus leaves at 10pm. So we figured that we had plenty of time and we would be able to make it home. On the bus we started talking to this guy who knew very little English but he was very nice and gave us his phone number. The next thing we knew, the bus was pulling into a bus parking lot. Everyone got off the bus, including the bus driver. Crap. Our stop was the very last stop on the other end of the route. We got off the bus so lost and confused. Was the bus done for the night? We had no idea. The nice guy we met on the bus stayed with us in our lost and very confused state. How in the world were we going to get back to our apartment. We had no cell phone and we didn't even have the address to our apartment. The guy from the bus and another lady were trying to tell us that the bus wouldn't be leaving again and that we would need to take a taxi or stay in a hotel for the night. A taxi would have been just fine but we had no idea how to tell people where we lived. That was a big mistake. A hotel for a night wouldn't be so bad, right?? I was trying so hard not to freak out but what in the world were we going to do? I looked over at Shelby and I could see that she was very concerned. I had to keep myself together because if I lost it, I knew that she would too. That would have been a pretty good sight, two lost Americans crying in the middle of China because they were lost and had no idea how to get home. I tried so hard to communicate to the two people helping us that we needed to get back on the bus and that I read online it was supposed to still be up and running for two more hours. They just stared at me because they didn't understand. Just when we were going to give up and probably stay in a hotel, a bus pulled out from the parking lot to go do the route again. We were so grateful to see this sight. After an hour long bus ride, we finally made it back home.
Everything that happened today was a tender mercy from the Lord. He is watching over me. He knows that I am all alone in China. He knew that we were worried about getting home to our apartment. He sent that nice guy on the bus to talk to us and stay with us until we figured out what we were doing. Even though we struggled to communicate with him, he was there for us. It is crazy to think that He knows what every single one of us is doing. Whether we are lost in China, stressed about school or work, or just confused about what we are doing in life, Heavenly Father is there for us and he is aware of our every need. That is so awesome and so true. I know it because I have have experienced it today and many other times in my life.
Living in China may not always be easy but it will be awesome!!
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