Sometimes we make decisions that are best to keep from our parents until after we have made them (AKA until we are confident that we have successfully managed to stay safe and alive). In the meantime, “ignorance is bliss” mom and dad! Well, a few nights ago, I made one of those kinds of decisions. I was across the city running some errands and wanted to go back to campus. There were no available cabs in sight, and I didn’t have the energy for the subway. What was my alternative? A moped ride! In any major city in China, you can always hunt down a cheap moped ride as a method of transportation. The risk? Your life. Kidnappings and murders are extremely rare in China (I have actually never heard of one taking place while I have lived here), but drivers here are nuts! They honk, swerve, speed, and stop short to the point where your life literally flashes before your eyes every few seconds. This is completely normal. Ironically, there are almost never car accidents here. My Chinese friend explained to me that “It seems like the drivers are crazy, but they are actually very detail oriented, aware and careful”. I guess I will have to accept his explanation for the time being. My moped ride across the city was no exception. My life flashed before my eyes every time I blinked. Yet, I made it back to my dorm alive and in one piece. Don’t worry, I won’t make this a regular occurrence, but I have to admit…I kind of enjoyed the adrenaline rush. I certainly felt young, free and on top of the world crusin’ along the streets of China on a stranger’s moped. It’s one of those things you need to do so have interesting and wild stories to tell your children one day…
