-Chinese Proverb
Whether it was the driver or M’s misdirection I don’t know, but what should have been an hour’s drive to an ancient tourist site became a four-hour adventure that showed how quickly China is growing and how the old and the new are converging at every turn. Major roads end abruptly, forcing us to navigate side “streets” (reinforced with cardboard), locals telling us a bridge is under construction.
Towering apartment buildings, single story open-air shacks with today’s laundry and a shipment of PVC pipe, and looming concrete supports for a new highway overwhelm the rice patties, let alone the people. On the roadways, buses and cars move across both directions of traffic, our bus narrowly missing an older man on his bike carrying rubble or trash, and pulling alongside one moped brimming over with a whole family. I know now why I, seated at the very front of the bus, was cautioned to “wear seatbelt.” I lost track of how many tollbooths and how many times we turned around.
The journey ahead of our delegation will be messy. Who knows where we will end up? However, today what struck me is how willing the Chinese are to ask questions (our bus driver was unashamed to inquire the way) and do the hard work. They are eager to learn. We have much to learn as well. Buckling up, maybe we can find our way to understanding.
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About the author: Laura Deisley is a curious learner and advocate for education, with a passion for reading, traveling and connecting ideas and people.
