SKYFALL

Here is anther funny experience in Xian China. About a month into my trip.

I wake up at about 4:30 every morning to exercise on my roller blades and play basketball. This morning was the same. I woke up, did my ten minutes of yoga and went outside to roller blade. I stopped going around in circles at about 5:30 and began to practice basketball.

Many people are up at about that time and so I thought it would be harmless to make some noise with my ball, but it seemed that one person did not like what I was doing at all. From at least 10 floors high, this person spilled about 5 gallons of water where I was standing and had barley missed me. They had gotten my back pack wet and had luckily missed my very expensive roller blades. I thought nothing of it and assumed some old lady was done washing her clothes, but a few minutes later, a flower pot fell from the sky right next to where I was standing. It shattered and some of the pieces hit me on my ankle. I felt discouraged and partly mad at this person. Since I never saw him, I simply ignored the pot and continued to bounce my ball up and down. A few seconds later, two empty cans dropped from the unknown as well, and so I pretended I did not see this occur also. Stupidly, I would occasionally go in the area where the things were dropping, just to see if I was actually a target, or maybe part of me wanted to mock this person, but nothing fell on me, it was always just a close call. I played after that for about 10 more minutes, than as I walked off the court, I kicked one of the cans away as if nothing had ever happened. As I walked back to the main entrance, I pictured the face of the person. I couldn't figure out if I was being threatened, if he was actually trying to hit me, or if it was just some dumb teenager playing a joke. But when I walked away, I felt I had won the game.

I went back later that day to see where the pot had fallen and there was still a little puddle of water. I also knew exactly where the two empty cans had fallen, but someone had cleaned everything up by then. The crime had been committed but not solved.

I found out later that this was just a simple spring cleaning style... no one was after me. 

Here is an interesting experience I had while living with a family in Jinan in 2010. I was 16 years old.

When you read this, don't judge, don't think "for heavens sakes, why can't she just ever ask for help about these things." I had everything under control, there wasn't any real problem. But it was a very uncomfortable situation.

The water stopped working the other day, it wasn't a very convenient time to stop working either. That night, I was tired from walking so much with Lai Si from our site seeing through the Shang Dong Spring Park and I was hungry.

Lai Si had brought out some food from the kitchen, and some of that food had eyes and very sharp looking pincer’s. It was a crab. I wasn't too excited about it, but because I was desperate to just get something in my stomach ( and because it was the main dish anyway) I ate two crabs. Lai Si told me she loves crab and she also ate two of them. It is funny to watch the Chinese eat at dinner parties. The culture here is different when it comes to food. If you don't eat it really fast and are not sloppy about it, your being impolite and your not doing it right. At both of the two dinner parties I have attended here so far I haven't felt comfortable eating that way, and everyone thinks I hate all the food. Some of it wasn't too good, and I admitted it, but most was delicious and I just couldn't explain to them that it was.

Well, after dinner the other night I headed up to go to bed. I said "Wan an" to everyone, which means good night, and climbed the steep stairs up to my room. I didn't stuff myself, but the crab wasn't doing so well inside me. At the springs that day, Lai Si said to fill up my water bag with some of the spring water that she said was safe to drink from, but I don't think the water was doing it for me either. It must have not been clean enough because I suddenly felt sicker and sicker before I went to bed.

I got on the computer to write about my day at the famous seven springs, but I didn't even get close to the end when I felt like I was going to throw up. I was fine for a few minutes, but I ran in to the bathroom anyway. I felt ok afterwards and was about to flush the toilet, when I realized, the water wasn't running through the pipes that day. It had stopped just for that night. Why that night?!!! I tried to remember what Lai Si told me to do if I wanted to flush the toilet when the water wasn't running. I remember she showed me to dump water somewhere, but I couldn't remember what to do after that. The sink was barely working either, but I managed to get some water from the trickles it made. It took a while to fill the bowl up. When I finally got enough water, I dumped it right into the toilet. I stupidly thought that, because of the weight of the water, it would magically just go down!!! Why would I think that!?

I refused to go downstairs and ask for help. If they saw what a mess I was in, oh man, I don't think I could bare the embarrassment from the situation. I took the lid off the top of the toilet and looked inside for the problem. It was so obvious! All I had to do was fill that part up with water and flush it manually!! "Wow Maddy, what the heck?" I thought over and over. I filled another bowl full of water. In order to get enough water in there, I had to fill it up about four times. Only the hot water was working and I had to be careful not to burn myself. When I take a shower I have to be careful not to turn it to far to the left to get hot water. Because it is very sensitive, it gets really hot and you can boil to death, then if you get it too far to the right, it's ice cold!

I finally got the stupid thing to flush right and it was all over. I went out of the bathroom and was glad to finally be breathing fresh air. I felt even more exhausted and went straight to bed.

It was a stupid blond moment for me that night. I won't ever be able to forget this.

If you must, tell your friends for a nice laugh, but know this, It could have happened to anyone... I think.   :(

The universe is being good to me lately

An amazing think happened. A day after writing my last post, $300 dollars seemed to show up out of no where. A couple months ago I worked with my mom and my sister at an all-day voting event. I was told I wouldn't see the money I earned that day until December, but it came in the male recently ($100 dollars). 

When summer began, I was offered a job teaching art to children at the stone-gate reception center in American Fork. As time went on, I was never spoken to or called much about what was going to happen and when. I finally called them and was told the event would occur on the 28th of September, so I was there, ready with 81.16 dollars worth of teaching supplies. No one showed up and I waited two hours before someone let me in the building. I found a group of people having a meeting and asked them what was going on.

They said the whole thing was canceled. So I emailed the women who was running everything and told her what happened. She felt so bad that she offered an extra 120 dollars for all the hard work I did to prepare. It was strange how everything is working out just in time for departure.

One thing I will always try to accomplish out there in the world is communication. It is one of the most important things we need in this world.

I also have a feeling I am being watched over as well.

Huuuh... Money

Twelve more days before departure. I am feeling unprepared and unsettled. My brothers have done wonders helping me get into the program. I have been accepted after being able to pay the $2500. Now I have $412.75 dollars left to my name for departure preparations and teaching supplies. When I get there, I don't think I will have anything at all, and though that would make it more adventurous, I would like to feel safe and secure financially.

 Traveling around China is part of the experience. Two months in on the trip will mess with our visas so we will be going to Taiwan to  renew them, but travel costs are involved. Basically, I need money, and don't have anytime left to earn some.

I haven't spent a single dollar yet and I know I will not be spending any on souvenirs, unnecessary foods or anything else that will get me completely broke.

Not even Robin Williams can brighten my spirits about these trials any more.
Still,
I think it will work out for the best.