venture out

(Once upon a time this had pictures in it. Now they are gone. I don't know what happened and I don't have time to get them back right now. So, sorry it's a little bit messed up on the format and lacking pictures... I'll try to come back and post them later!)

I finished all of my teaching/work by 5:30pm. I had no plans for the evening and I was feeling good, so I decided to venture out on my own for the evening. I'm currently in a coastal city and I love being by the ocean so I first walked towards the coast with my camera (affectionately known as "Cami" or "Cam") and took some pictures. I thoroughly enjoyed the familiar sights, sounds, and smells of waves crashing up against the rocks… EVERYTHING else was different, but that was the same. A little bit of sameness is much appreciated these days.

Next I decided to take a bus and find my way to a place I could sit and enjoy a little people watching, find some dinner, and maybe a SBUX to sit in for a while and read/write/study. I have only taken a bus in this city once before and it was in a totally different part of town, and with someone else who knew where we were going. This was my first attempt at doing it alone. Actually, this was the first time I've taken a bus alone – not just in this city, but – in this COUNTRY! Adventure # 217! (No, I am not really numbering my adventures.) I knew what bus number I needed to take to get to where I wanted to go, but I wasn't sure which direction I needed to go/which side of the road I needed to catch it on. I tried to ask a lady but she didn't understand me. A nice old man heard me and said, "Do you speak English?" J "Yes, I do!"
I told him where I was trying to go and he confirmed that this was the correct bus stop and direction. The bus arrived a moment later and the crowd began to get on. He waited for me and pointed to the door saying, "After you!" We got on the bus and he sat beside me. I introduced myself to him and found out his name. He asked if I was a student. "No, I am a teacher… laoshi!" He looked delighted! We chatted a little bit, but mostly sat quietly as I stared out the window trying to remember what was where for future outings. He made sure I knew the status of my journey. "Two more stops!" "Next stop!" "No, not here! One more!" "Okay… this will be it!" I stood up and began to tell him thank you and goodbye but he stood up too. "Oh, is this your stop?" I asked. He smiled. I realized it was not but he was wanting to take care of me. "No! You don't need to get off the bus! I can find it from here!" "Follow me!" He was already off the bus, so… I followed him! He stopped to ask someone for directions and guided me to the underground walkway to get to the other side of the street. I wouldn't have noticed it was there and would have gone the long way around. We got to the other side and began to walk up the stairs. He turned to me and said, "I am great to meet you! You are look very beautiful! There it is!" He stopped on the last stair as he pointed me towards my destination. I stopped, smiled and told him, "You are a very kind man! Thank you for your help! Have a wonderful evening!" He shrugged, smiled back, and turned towards another bus to continue on towards whatever his destination was for the evening.

PEOPLE HERE ARE SOOOOOOOOO NICE!

They are so hospitable and kind, going so out of their way to make sure that I am comfortable and well taken care of. I always feel terrible and try to argue. I tell them it really is not necessary for them to do so much! But I always lose this argument.

I continued on and did a little shopping. I needed some paper and a notebook. I looked at shoes, wondering if they'd have any in my size. The closest I found was a half size too small. Sigh. It's okay, they were too expensive anyway.

I grabbed a bite to eat and then went to
SBUX. I told
the
young man at the counter that this used to be my job in America. He was intrigued so we talked for a few minutes. I don't know what it is about being HERE but I find myself ordering things/buying things I never normally eat/drink… like a caramel frappuccino. I guess I figured,"It's hot! And I've walked a lot! So I deserve a little treat!" It was delightful. I wrote in my journal, read a little in my book, and studied a little language. About 8:30, I packed up my bag, walked around a little bit and then made my way outside where I caught a cab and came home. The family's "helper" was here and motioned for me to come watch tv with her. So, I sat on the couch, she pointed the fan at me, and we sat quietly as we watched tv shows in which I could not understand what was being said…

I dreamt
of the day that I will be able to understand this mysterious language that everyone around me speaks! I thought about how much WORK this is going to require, and I pulled out a list of words I'm trying to learn…

Then I went to bed and slept for the longest I've slept in a long time! J