It’s funny how little we know.  We think we know a lot but we don’t.  I’ve come to accept since coming to China.  I’m not fooling myself that I have no idea how to get around campus or how to communicate well with native speakers.  However, you get that little instance of self-assurance–a little light peaking from behind a black cloud and it can make your whole day. 

My friend Karen and I went exploring to find a coffee shop.  We had just finished our placement tests and we wanted to completely forget about them.  We walked along the main road, Chengfu Street, to see what shops we could find.  We entered a huge gate which we thought was the neighboring university.  The  security guard directed us to the nearest coffee shop and we stumbled upon this little treasure.  This lovely pond was serene with the little sounds of plants swaying in the breeze and the water still as glass.  A little marble bridge went over the small pond and we hurried on our way to find this coffee shop on this different campus.

We finally found the small shop and I, for the first time ever, ordered a cup of coffee in Chinese.  I was so proud of myself I took this picture to commemorate the achievement.  

As Karen and I made our way back to our dorm we were walking on familiar roads. I stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and burst out laughing.  We never left campus.  We walked along Chengfu Street and entered our campus from a different gate.  That little hide-away pond was on our campus.  I smiled all the way back as I thought that I could return to that place anytime I pleased.

Since coming to China, I have felt a little overwhelmed by how hard it is for me to communicate.  It’s not easy being thrown (although I tossed myself) into a new environment.  I’m just taking it one day at a time and I hope you don’t mind if I celebrate my little accomplishments with you.  They are small and silly but they make my day.