Angels Among Us -- Help is on the Way!

A lot of people have asked us what the Chinese people are like.  In many respects, they are a lot like Americans. They are busy, happy, family-oriented.  For the most part we have found them warm and friendly to these two foreigners wandering around in their midst.

One of the things we were told in our training at BYU prior to coming to China was that when we were in trouble or having difficulties, angels would be sent to assist us.  Bonita and I can testify that has been the case for us numerous times already.  Let me share a couple experiences with a few Chinese people who doubled as our angels.

We were also told if we have problems finding something, we should stop some young people, as more likely than not they speak at least a little English.  I did that last week -- I had ventured out on my own in search of printer ink.  After a while, it was clear that I wasn't making much progress.  Remembering the counsel we'd received, I stopped two young women and asked if they could direct me to someplace where I could purchase printer ink.  They both giggled to have this old foreigner speak to them, but they did speak a bit of English.  Between that and Google Translate (which I have on my phone), we were able bridge the communication gap pretty well.

Anyway, they stopped what they were doing and schlepped me all over the area looking for printer ink. Unfortunately, they just kept taking me to print shops, who of course didn't have ink for sale.  (But each of them would have been happy to do my print job for me!)

The three of us were walking abreast down the street / sidewalk (sometimes they double as the same thing), and I was on the outside (nearest traffic).  As an electric bike (they are everywhere here!) went whizzing past, followed by a car, one of the gals stepped back and gently directed me to walk inside of her and her friend, putting herself and her friend on the outside nearest the traffic. "You be careful...cars and bikes go so fast, you no get hit here."  Of course I wouldn't let them be chivalrous and walk on the outside, but I thought it was sweet.  About 45 minutes into our sortie, my two guides had a quick discussion, then one of them dashed off.  Moments later she returned with a bottle of water for me.  She absolutely insisted I take it, and when I offered to buy her and the other gal bottles of water, they both declined, showing me they were both carrying bottles in their purses.

Turns out they were juniors in high school, checking out the university where I began teaching a couple weeks' ago.

After forty-five minutes of fruitless wandering, they suggested there was a Walmart that might have printer ink, and said they would be happy to take me there.  It would have been about a sixty-minute round-trip bus jaunt!  I declined and told them I had a friend [another China Teachers' Program (CTP) teacher] who could probably tell me where to go.  We departed company shortly thereafter.

Thank you Aimee and Alice  for coming to my assistance.  (Most young people who study English select an English name that is easier for foreigners like me to pronounce.)

Sweet experience!

But it was not an isolated incident.  A week ago Saturday Bonita and I set out to find that Walmart (the one that might have printer ink).  One of the other CTP teachers who has been here about a year pointed us to the right bus and the right direction, so we headed off with more confidence than we should have had.  (Cue the ominous music!)

We crossed a very busy thoroughfare outside our hotel and caught the #51 bus and headed east.  We were feeling pretty accomplished for about a mile, when the bus stopped at a bus stop, and everyone but us and one elderly woman got off the bus.  She came up to us and through her gestures and concerned chatter, we realized the bus had reached the end of its route, and we had to get off the bus.  So we did.  By then, nearly no one was in sight.  Bad fortune, you say?  Well, maybe.

The elderly woman hailed a nearby young woman (25?  30?) and seemed to be explaining our predicament to her.  Finally, the young woman noticed the small grocery trolleys we were carrying.  She pointed to them and in heavily accented English, said: "Shopping?" We nodded and said yes, and kept repeating Walmart.  She seemed to figure it out, and motioned for us to follow her.  Then she settled into checking her phone for bus schedules.

Soon we were on another bus headed in the right direction.  We hopped off near a beautiful park in downtown Jinan, and walked to the Walmart, which was on the second through fourth floors of a large office building.  Our angel -- Sainan -- didn't just point out the Walmart, but she took us into the Walmart and made certain we knew we had to take the escalator to the second floor.

I am certain it will be no surprise to anyone who knows Bonita, that by the time we arrived at the Walmart, and notwithstanding the difficulties in communicating, Bonita and Sainan were practically BFFs, had traded WeChat information (WeChat is sort of an international Face-time app used heavily in China), and Bonita had agreed to give Sainan English lessons.  All in all, we were delighted to have gotten on the bus going the wrong direction.

We are loving the people and the culture here already!  And how blessed and fortunate we have been to have met a few of the angels among us.