Help, Where am I?
我在哪儿？
This morning didn’t quite go as planned. I had intended to take a quick 20-minute jog around the base of nearby Shigu Mountain Park 石鼓山公园, only ten minutes from my apartment. With the help of Google Maps’ little blue dot, navigating my running routes is nearly effortless. That is, of course, if the little blue dot is behaving.
Good thing the running endorphins put me in a positive mood, because panic suddenly set in as my little blue dot decided to peace out. Where did it go, you ask?
Well, I forget how phone plans work in the USA, but I pay for my 4G cellular data using my Wechat Wallet. Using the wallet feature on Wechat, you can click “mobile top up” and, voila, RMB is instantaneously added to your phone and 4G data is magicly at your disposal. Mid-run, however, not only did I run out of cellular data (perfect timing, right?), but my Wechat wallet was also empty. Ummm…What happens then?
Your phone is only useful as a camera and you take lots of blog pics for your wonderful friends and family. And you get really lost.
Blue dot?! Come back!
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The man looking at me can clearly tell I am lost and confused...He just stares. So, naturally, I take a blog pic ;)
I ran around in circles completely lost in a maze of narrow streets for nearly three hours. I was so close to home, yet so disoriented. Lesson learned, I should not rely so heavily on my blue dot in the future.
Okay, to be honest, I could have easily hopped in a cab or moped taxi and headed home. I know my address. It really wasn’t the end of the world (I’m just being overly dramatic). I chose to let myself get lost because running through these unfamiliar streets really made me feel like I was in China. When you’re constantly surrounded by KFC, Haagen-Dazs, international students, and neon-lit modern skyscrapers, it’s easy to forget that you live across the globe. Today was a nice reminder that I live in CHINA. This new village I discovered was a nice contrast to the modern skyscrapers quickly taking over the city.
