Yesterday was rather lengthy because we taught in the morning and, in the afternoon, took a trip to Hefei to retrieve my rejuvenated MacBook. With directions that our Chinese friend had texted us, we caught a taxi to the bus, bought express tickets to Hefei, rode a bus for two and a half hours to the provincial capitol, took a taxi from the bus station in Hefei to the Apple-authorized repair shop, picked up the computer, flagged down another taxi back to the bus station, purchased express return tickets to Anqing, arrived in town two and a half hours later, flagged down another taxi, and picked up dinner before heading to our apartment. The bus rides were some of the worst we’ve ever experienced; I had a terrible headache and I almost threw up a few times. Also, the bus driver kept pressing and releasing the gas pedal so we kept lurching back and forth in our seats. On the trip home, Jean-Jacques and I tried to make the best of an uncomfortable situation by making fun of the karaoke music videos that were playing on the TV screens. (I honestly don’t understand any of the music videos here. I must be from a different culture or something.) To add to all the discomfort, we hadn't eaten lunch, so I munched on peanuts and dates on the return ride.
We were extremely pleased with our successful trip, but it reminded us of why we don’t travel much in China. It’s too stressful when you don’t speak the language. We appreciate the kindness of the Chinese, but hate to impose too much on people. Also, it can be uncomfortable if you don’t know what’s happening around you or the directions you’re given.
Today was good, if a bit busy. We slept late in order to recover from our Hefei adventure. Jean-Jacques made a run to the grocery store while I cleaned the bathroom and bought some yarn to make a baby blanket for our friends who are expecting a baby. This afternoon we received a call from Celine (a woman from Bainbridge who is teaching in Ma'anshan and knows someone in our program who is also working there) letting us know that she had safely arrived in Anqing. We spent most of the day with her, walking around Anqing’s back streets, drinking tea at a coffee shop while chatting about teaching in China, and strolling on the banks of the Yangtze River. (We even saw a man swimming in the river; when we was finished exercising, and in the process of changing into dry clothes, I accidentally saw his bare behind.) We met up with some friends for dinner and had a great time at the Korea BBQ place.
I’m heading to bed soon since we've got another big day ahead of us tomorrow. We're going to attend a wedding celebration, so I'm excited.
P.S. The sound of rain on the plastic roof has been comfortably serenading me as I write this post. I've said it many times before, but I adore the soothing sound of rain. I've missed hearing it this winter.
