CHINESE BACK IN MY LIFE

Ni hao! Well, the last month has been rather eventful to say the least. Following my summer in the Appalachian mountains I took a huge leap of faith and drove 8 hours North to Lancaster, Pennsylvania in pursuit of a potential job with a scenic design company. I had originally interviewed with these guys back in March, but hadn't heard from them for several months-- ever since I told them I couldn't start a new job until August because of my summer commitment. Well, about a week before West Side Story closed I got an unexpected phone call from the head of their design department expressing their interest in my application. We didn't make any final arrangements concerning an interview, but I was under the impression that we would be in touch soon. Several days passed and it was time to check out of the summer theatre's company housing. I had to make a choice to drive either North to Pennsylvania or West to my originally planned destination of Dallas, TX. I chose North.

I was in Pennsylvania a total of one week. During that time I interviewed with the design company twice only to learn they weren't looking to hire anyone full-time, at least not until October or even January. It was a bit of a surprise, but also a relief. I had hoped that I had found my new home when I arrived in Lancaster, but came to realize that I didn't like the city at all. The surrounding community was beautiful with rolling Amish farmland, but all the available apartments were a bit out of my financial reach. I would have had to live within Lancaster which reminded me a lot of what I had seen of Philadelphia: over-crowded, run-down apartments. Driving was also a chore and I found myself wishing over and over for the wide open spaces of the West. It was a constant struggle as I tried to get settled. I couldn't rent an apartment because I currently wasn't employed, and I couldn't cash my final paycheck because it came from an out-of-state bank. So circumstances forced me to keep checking myself back into motels every night and scrimping my last few pennies. I chose to revise my original decision from "I'm staying here even if I don't get the job" to "I'll only remain if this company offers me the job." So to make a long story short, when I was told that they couldn't hire me, I was relieved and anxious to be on my way. I jumped in my car (I had already checked out of my hotel) and programed my GPS for Dallas. I called my mom to tell her the outcome and she had to remind me to first go back to North Carolina to pick up the rest of my things which I had left in a storage unit...

It took four days drive to North Carolina, empty my storage unit, load a 4x8 u-haul trailer, and drive to Dallas. The majority of the trip was uneventful, but I had a real scare when my rear driver's side tire blew-out while I was driving through Tennessee. Remember, I was pulling a trailer behind my S10 Blazer which created a "ball and chain" movement when the SUV fishtailed out of control... All I can say is there had to be some heavenly intervention to keep that car on the road and upright. A state trooper pulled up as I was emptying out the back of my car to get to my spare tire. He suggested we get off the main road because of the small shoulder space and rapidly approaching semis. He drove behind me with his lights flashing as I creeped along the shoulder to the nearest off-ramp. We pulled into a gas station where we met another man who then offered to help change the tire. I hardly had to get my hands dirty as I supervised the two angels sent to help me. I keep a full size "spare" in my vehicle, so I could have just continued on to Dallas, but didn't want to risk being stranded without a spare, so I went to the nearest Wal-Mart to replace the tire. Later that afternoon I only drove a few more hours to Little Rock, AK before staying at a Motel 6. I finished my drive the next day without any more excitement.

So... I have found myself living with my grandparents in the Dallas metro area. I started a new job on Monday as an after-school nanny for three school-aged kids, and have started taking a Chinese class at a local college during the day. Not exactly where I planned to be after graduating, but I am settling in to my new arrangement. I am excited to have reintroduced the Chinese language back into my life, and look forward to learning more than just the few phrases I picked up in Taiwan. Maybe this fork in the road will lead to even more exciting adventures?