Goin' back!

Hello!  I have mixed feelings right now as to whether or not I should say that this was a quick trip.  On one hand, it went by so quickly.  On the other hand, it was a really long time.  I was on a month long trip, which is longer than I normally take.

I am currently in the Denver airport on my way back to Macau.  I fly from here to San Francisco, and then on to Hong Kong.  After that, I'll take the ferry to Macau.  There is something that could change that, though: there is a typhoon in the South China Sea right now.  If the winds are not cooperating with us, then I might end up delayed somewhere in the world.  I think it'll be ok: the typhoon was not in the path of the plane, but it is only 200 kilometers out (which means there would still be some pretty strong winds).  So as for now, i am just waiting in Denver to get to San Fran to learn more! :)

While I was at the Sioux Falls airport, I wanted to gate check my carry-on.  As I was waiting for the attendent to be free, I overheard her saying that she was unable to speak to this man because he doesn't speak any English.  I looked at him, looked at her, and asked: does he speak Chinese?  She looked at me, and hesitantly said yes, and I told her that I speak a little Chinese.  She said...wow, that would be great...much better than trying to translate it on the phone.  So she told me what she wanted to say, and I was prepared to bashfully bow my head and say that I didn't know how to say that, but as she kept talking, I knew how to say it in Chinese!  So I told the man the information, and we had a small conversation back and forth.  As this was happening, some other airport workers who knew about the situation came in from whatever they were doing with the airplane, and as they looked at me and looked at the man, I glanced over and saw their jaws drop.  All 3 were just staring at me like, how in the world does this girl know Chinese?  And so after the man thanked me and left to go sit down, they continued to look at me curiously, and I told them that I live in China.  Later on I explained to one of the men that I am a missionary in Macau, and that I am learning Chinese, and was just thankful that I actually knew the words that she wanted to say to the Chinese man!

I don't think this was a coincidence.  Now, this is such a small thing, but it's the little things that build up to make your day go great or poor.  This lady was noticeably frustrated, so I was happy to be able to lighten the load a little bit.  Plus: I need to get back into the habit of speaking Chinese!  It's been a while!

As I am waiting here, I remember that the Denver airport has a Jamba Juice, so I am off to get a nice fruit smoothy as I wait in line.

I want to say thank you so much to everyone who hosted me while I was in America, and I hope that I will get to see you during my home service next year, especially if I did not see you this summer!  And remember that you're always welcome to come to Macau! :)