Revelations in China

So my first night I went to a Chinese barbecue and had shrimp, an extremely spicy cabbage (kimchi), and a shot of the devils water. I learned quickly that you have two try’s with Chinese to get your pronunciation right before they walk off and say fuck it, but in Chinese. Hey! It’s less insulting in Chinese. Oh, did I mention on the flight they don’t allow you to have your phone on at all the whole 15 hours? Bizarre right? So after I got in from the dinner last night I got in the shower — well at least I thought I was getting in — I attempted to get in and the warm water wouldn’t work. I didn’t want to be a hassle to the hotel already so I said I would sit in the tub and that was a fail as well. The little stumper wouldn’t come up, so I almost flooded the room. All I can think of is all hell they’re going to say, “these damn Americans.”
Eventually I called maintenance, and they came up immediately and fixed the problem that never really existed. How slow am I to not know that the cold water is technically the way to turn the water on and the hot is just the temperature indicator? Damn Americans! He then moved to fix the other non-existing problem with the tub; which by the way was still filled with water from my trial and errors. He then simply twisted the thing that we use at home to stop water from overflowing to lift the stumper. Again, damn Americans!
Fast forward to the morning. First off, Hiltons beds are extremely comfortable. Their sheets are meant to make you late for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seriously! So I woke up at 6:30, and I was very well rested. I got myself together at about 7, then I headed to breakfast alone. It’s not like I could’ve contacted my classmates because I didn’t have any of their room numbers. So, I went to, “eat and be merry” alone.
When I got the buffet for breakfast in the hotel I noticed that I had no idea how to ask for anything. Great! I walked up to the hostess counter and she spoke fluent English, you guys know I immediately sighed at this point. She set me right by another American, which was very obvious, but okay. Almost immediately, Ms. Hilary and I looked at each other with so much relief in our eyes. Ms. Hilary, Professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, was here teaching for two weeks those teachers that work here permanently. She was extremely nice to me! We went on to talk about the importance of diversity and how proud of me she is. She goes on to express how courageous I am for taking such a risk. Now, she’s an older woman, granted she looks great, but she’s a little on the older side. Nevertheless, she was an awesome human being. She’s the reason I travel. She’s the reason I ate peacefully. She was the reason I knew over again, that I can make it.
Ms. Hilary eventually had to attend a meeting, so she had to go, but before she left she wrote her name and email on a napkin and told me to keep in touch because there’s plenty of opportunity for students such like myself in New Jersey and abroad. I expressed my gratitude and continued my breakfast. I had pancakes, hash browns, fruit, a boiled roll (it’s a Chinese thing) and Asian breakfast noodles. They had a wide range of options, but I settled for the basics. Upon me leaving I went to the restroom then came back to my table to find a face mask and a bottle of filtered water sitting on my table with a note, and it read,
“I noticed you didn’t drink your tea and that you said something about having a dry nose, here’s some filtered water and a mask until you get your filtered water bottle out of your luggage in Harbin.”
-Hilary.”
I cried to myself right there in my seat. I didn’t care how many people were around, I was so happy and grateful. In the time of so much hate back home in America, it was such a great feeling to finally cry tears of joy. I bawled of tears for a good twenty minutes before returning to my room. I went to share my experience with roommate and she was in such an awe as well. It’s people like Ms. Hilary and I that the world needs to Trump hate, bigotry, and discrimination. Until then, I pray one day that love wins this constant battle to hate.
