Guangzhou was unusually cold and we had not packed winter wear since we'd planned to be only in tropical climates while away from campus. We walked out of the nearly empty airport and easily caught a cab to take us to the hostel where we were meeting up with David. I gave the driver the name of the place in Chinese and did my best to be heard over the radio that was playing in addition to the New Year show on a TV screen in the back and white noise from a random, third electronic source. He complained that he couldn't understand me (quite likely given all the other noises battling to reach his ear drums), couldn't read the address I had for the place, and then began loudly scolding me for not speaking Cantonese - his local dialect. When we finally reached the hostel, he charged an additional 15 yuan (a little more than $2) for "fees" claiming there was a toll. Tired of arguing and feeling belittled while competently speaking his official language instead of his personal preference of the local dialect, I finally tossed him the extra bills and muttered something to the effect of "Happy friggin' new year" as I ducked out of the car.
We met up with David and were soon comforted by the hospitality of the front desk staff. The three of us sat around and caught each other up on what had happened during the past few weeks, effectively deciding to have only a couple days in Guangzhou before getting out of the cold and heading to the sunshiny warmth of Malaysia. The next day - the actual holiday - was so cold and all the businesses were closed down, so we pretty much just hung out in the hostel lobby, watched the New Year specials on the TV, and booked tickets to our next destination. My eyes had started to bother me a little, but I attributed it to the fact that I was once again in a cold, dreary place filled with unfamiliar pollutants/allergens. Later that night, we met up with David's friends and tried to find a place for dinner - pretty impossible. All the restaurants required tickets and far-in-advance bookings for their $40 and up meals. We heard that the rest of the team (belonging to David's friends) were eating at an Irish pub and decided to try to get to that side of town to join them.
After running back by the hostel to grab our things (the friends generously offered to let us stay with them), and being warned that we were about to miss the amazing firework display (less intriguing since we'd seen the one from the sky the night before), we headed over and enjoyed the best (and only) home-style hamburgers we'd had in a good 6 months. The GZ group took amazing care of us and it was so much fun getting to spend time with other Americans living in China, knowing they understood a lot of what we were experiencing.
The next day I woke up and couldn't see. It wasn't so much that my vision was lost as my ability to effectively open my eyes was. So, we headed to the warmest place we could think of (Starbucks, natch) and pretty much slummed it there all day - David and Arianne watching movies on their laptops and me in a benadryl coma, propped up against the wall. When the GZ group called to meet us for dinner, a nice guy seated nearby overheard and offered to give us directions. Turns out he knew our friends and decided to join us. As amazing as the Italian food was, it was even more amazing to have the group gather around me and ask the Father for healing. Our new friend asked me soon after if I felt any better and I responded a little facetiously with a quick "Sure," only to realize that I truly did.
After dinner, we decided to see the lights of Guangzhou before heading back to the apartment. It was incredible just to actually be able to see, much less to take in the enchanting surroundings.
Beautifully landscaped designs (like this phoenix) were on display to celebrate the festival.
The holiday was lovely, but I was far from sad to be back in the air and headed towards paradise!
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