The Last Supper

I took the subway back up closer to the office so I could meet everyone for dinner. I walked around a mall for a bit trying to find a suitcase to take some of the extra clothes I’ve acquired home, but everything I found was about 3x more expensive than I was willing to pay. I went and got a tea from the tea house across from the office before going and sitting in the café that occupies the bottom floor of our office building. I spent some time looking at career websites on my phone and thinking about all these new ideas I have after working for AllSet. Eventually Vivi texted me that they were ready for dinner and I went upstairs to meet them.

John was with a client so Vivi, Yu Cui, Yang Renjun, Jazlyn, and I snuck out. They laughed at how heavy my pack is but I guess I’ve become a bit immune to it.

We went to a food court in the basement of a mall. This may not sound traditional, but it really is the quintessential chinese experience. So many Chinese people stop to eat at these places on their way home from work. They aren’t like American food courts that have a bunch of fast food chains; they have like individual vendors and delis that make the food for you on the spot.

Vivi bought a pre-made hot pot that had beef, tofu, dumplings, and baked blood in it (I could not bring myself to try the blood…I felt bad, but I’ve made it this far without losing my lunch, I wasn’t willing to take the risk.) She also ordered some special dumplings. Yu Cui got an order of fried dumplings. Yang Renjun bought some fried, boneless chicken breasts.

While they got the food, Jazlyn and I walked around to order drinks. We briefly looked at getting smoothies, but then found liter cups of lemon tea for just 10RMB (about 1.20USD.)

“I guess this is the Chinese equivalent of a Big Gulp,” I joked.

“These special dumplings are eaten during the spring festival,” Vivi explained as they brought over the white delicacies that she had ordered. “We eat them for good luck and to celebrate some special occasions.” We cheers-ed our dumpling bowls together and then bit into the sweet tweets. The inside was filled with sweet rice and sesame seeds. It was really, really good.

The hot pot was really spicy! Not the spiciest dish I’ve eaten (that award goes to the noodle bowl Vivi and Yu Cui introduced me to…the name literally translates from Chinese to English to be “Mouth Numbing”) but it was spicier than the hot pot Yu Cui and I had.

The dumplings Yu Cui bought were also really good. They were fried but shaped more like little balls of noodle with just one edge a little crispy. The inside had some of the meat juice which squirted out when you bit in. I have finally learned to bite cautiously into Chinese food, so I wasn’t surprised this time. The dumplings were really, really good and I probably ate entirely too many of them.

The chicken Yang Renjun bought was also good. It was fried with breadcrumbs on it, and then had a mustard like sauce drizzled over it. Yu Cui said she knew a better version of the same and went to buy it. When she brought it back, it was probably 4 times the size of the dish Yang Renjun had bought. And it did taste a bit better. It had more spicing to the breading and was cooked with the bones in…which I admit gives it a lot more flavor.

When we finished the food, Yu Cui bought us all soft serve ice cream. We sat around and laughed, talking about what they had done since I left. Vivi, Yang Renjun, and Yu Cui had taken a trip with John and his wife while I was in Beijing. Jazlyn had been studying and was about halfway through her internship now.

“Did you get a haircut?” I asked Yang Renjun.

“No,” she said.

“Because both of you look like your hair has gotten longer,” I said pointing to Vivi and Yu Cui.

Vivi pulled on her pony tail and Yu Cui pinched her bangs. “I don’t think so,” Vivi said.

“Maybe my hair got longer because my body never got longer,” Yu Cui said. We all laughed.

“You have definitely lost weight,” Yang Renjun said.

“Really?” I said. I mean I’d kind of noticed it myself, but I didn’t feel like it was that substantial.

They enjoyed my stories (although they told me I was too hard on Hong Kong.) I admitted that I enjoyed every place I went. Xi’an was probably my favorite, Beijing was definitely the most interesting, and Hong Kong was beautiful—just frustrating, although I admit my own preparedness might have played a role in that.

“You know, I don’t think I could live in China,” I admitted for the first time out loud. “I like it so much, and I want to come back, but I can’t do the heat.

They laughed. “You were lucky,” Vivi said. “This summer has set a record as the coldest summer in China in over 30 years.”

“Seriously?” I asked.

They all laughed.

“No I really do like it here,” I said. “The people are friendly and fun, and the cities are beautiful, and the history is so interesting. I just need to live somewhere cooler…but I will come back to China.”

“Yes there are so many places to see,” Yu Cui said.

“Yes,” I agreed. “I really want to go to Chengdu.”

“When you go there,” Yang Renjun said, “I can be your guide.”

“Sounds like a plan!” I said. “And when you guys come to the US, I will be happy to show you around.”

After we finished our ice cream—which I noticed they ate the same way I did, so I don’t know why those people were laughing at me in the summer palace—we went outside to walk around. There was a small park behind the mall and Vivi wanted to show us her “Secret Place.”

“But it won’t be a secret place anymore if you show us,” Jazlyn pointed out.

“It is where my book club meets,” Vivi explained.

It turned out that her secret place was not so secret as there were about 10 other people there. But it was pretty. Situated behind a likely 5-star restaurant, her secret place was a little dock that overlooked a small pond. We took off our shoes and sat with our feet dangling in the water. Actually, my feet were the only ones that reached the water, and I realize it was kind of slimy as my toes dipped below the surface.

Yu Cui, Yang Renjun, and Jazlyn took photos and played with the photo editing software on WeChat. Vivi and I sat on the dock talking about trips we want to take in the future.

“If I lived in China,” I said, “I’d either live in Xi’an or Shanghai. Xi’an was beautiful and the air was so clean, but Shanghai is easier to get around with the metro. And I think the people are friendlier here.”

“Yes,” Vivi said. “I like Shanghai. I have many friends here. But when I get married and have a husband, I think I want to live in the country.”

“I can relate to that,” I said. “I think living in the city is fun. It’s definitely easier to meet people and see lots of things, but it is nice to settle down some place quieter. I’d like to live in a city for now, but when I get married and have a wife and kids, I’m not sure I want to raise my family in a down town area.”

“Yes,” she said. “I don’t want to spend my whole life in the cities.”

Marriage really does seem to be a big topic of conversation in China, and we talked about it a lot. Vivi was also interest in how gay marriage worked in the US since it really is not socially acceptable over here.

Everyone had a bit of a commute to get home, so about 8:00 we headed out. Yu Cui, Yang Renjun, and Jazlyn went on one line, Vivi and I took another but in opposite directions. We made plans to see each other again on Wednesday before I go home.

As Vivi and I walked to the train station she said, “I think traveling reminds me of the movie Alice. You know it?”

“Alice in Wonderland?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said. “You get to see new things and go to fun places. And in the end, it feels like a dream.”

“That’s so true,” I said. “My internship went so fast. I can still vividly remember my first couple days. But at the same time, I feel like I’ve been in China forever. It’s funny for me to think back to life without subways or crowds or smoggy air. I’m excited to go home but it…it feels weird.”

I really do feel so torn. I am so ready to see my family again, but I am so not ready for it to be over. I miss that crazy rush of being on the go, totally lost, and just taking adventures as they come. It’s been one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also one of the most incredible.

Back at the hostel, I bought tokens to do laundry. As I sat in the lobby waiting for my clothes, I overheard a girl checking into the hostel. She was white and didn’t have much accent (in other words she sounded American) but her speech pattern sounded as if English was not her first language. I couldn’t completely tell though and I haven’t really been around enough Americans lately to completely remember the dialect. I find that often when I am talking to people, my grammar kind of takes on a “Chin-glish” form.

Anyway, the conversation I overheard with her and the hostel manager was that they were out of locks for the lockers in the bunk rooms. They thought they’d have more in the morning.

“But I have a laptop and other stuff in here,” the girl said pointing to her bag. “Is there somewhere safe to put it.”

“Maybe you can sleep with it?” the kid at the front desk said. She thanked him and walked away.

Feeling in my pocket, I realized I had my own lock with me. It’s a little green TSA lock that my aunt and uncle loaned me when I went to Europe. I never returned it—it literally hung on the zipper of my old backpack for 11 months—and it’s been a real lifesaver on this trip.

I stood up and followed the girl. Finding her wandering the maze like hallways of the hostel I said, “I have a lock.”

She looked at me a bit confused and I realized it was an awkward way to start a conversation. I pulled the little lock out of my pocket. “I overheard your conversation back there. I have a lock that carry with me, but I’m in a private room tonight so I didn’t need it. You can use it if you like.” I handed it to her.

She took it. “Oh thank you.”

I told her the combination. “You can just leave it at the front desk,” I said.

“Great!” she said. “Thank you so much. What is your name?”

“Zach,” I said.

“Jessica,” she said. We shook hands and from her handshake I am definitely thinking she is not an American.

As I walked back to the lobby I realized I am probably never going to see that lock again. At the same time I thought I feel like I can trust her. Most travelers are pretty trustworthy it seems.Besides, enough people have bailed me out on my adventures—with outlet adapters, medications, etc.—it’s my turn to pay it forward.

Yu Cui is helping me order a suitcase online so we’ve been texting back and forth. Tomorrow, I guess I get to sleep in. I think I’ll use it as my last day of touring around, and then Wednesday I’ll get packing.

Here’s to a great last…62 hours(!) in China!