Suzhou

Suzhou was amazing. Once we got into the city, we became a bit lost on our way to Pam’s (our host’s) house, so we stopped at the local Starbucks and waited for her to come find us. While we sipped iced coffee to cool off, we met a few fans. We had posted about our trip in the Suzhou Expats group on Facebook, and two young men recognized us. They asked us about our trip and took a picture with us. I immediately liked Suzhou. Not five minutes later, Alex, another faithful Facebook follower found us. Alex is a German transplant who calls Suzhou home after being there for 15 years. Months

ago, he promised us ice cream via Facebook. He made good on his promise. Alex showed up at Starbucks with a 5-gallon carton of strawberry ice cream that he had just purchased from Metro. We sat on the patio eating ice cream with chopsticks while we listened to Alex compliment our endurance and tell his own stories of past accomplishments. He is an outdoorsman, himself. Not long ago, he finished his first 100 km race in Hong Kong. He encouraged us to

keep going, reminding us that, at this point, it’s all mental. That’s the truth. It was so great to talk to him because he understands the strange frustrations we have faced on the road, as he’s experienced them, too. He empathized with my blog post on my frustration with the truck drivers honking their horns and I told him about the backlash I received, that I was too harsh.

“I think you didn’t use the eff word enough! I usually just throw my middle fingers in the air and scream at them! They’re so terrible!!!” he exclaimed. I like Alex. In the midst of our conversation, Pam showed up. We said farewell to Alex and followed Pamela back to the apartment where she lives with her husband, Ernie, and their foster daughter who is almost 2 years old and absolutely adorable. It was the most beautiful apartment we’ve seen on

this trip. I couldn’t help but think back to the hostel where the rats ate my apple during week 1 and laugh at the difference. Staying with them was a gift, not just because our bed had a pillow top mattress pad (most Chinese beds are about as soft as plywood) but also because they are a joy of a family to be around. They moved to China from Fort Collins, Colorado. I spent a week in Fort Collins with my brother before leaving for China, so we had a lot to talk about.

“Did yall ever go to William Oliver’s? We had some great nights there. What about The Blind Pig? I’ve been craving a real Bloody Mary with Horsetooth hot sauce!” After settling in, we went out with Pam to meet Eleanor for dinner. Eleanor is another Facebook follower who generously offered to supply us with granola bars and pollution masks. She invited us out to the venue where her husband and his band mate were playing that night- The Bookworm. We had a lovely evening there. Eleanor’s husband even invited us up on stage to talk about The Walk during a set break. I was nervous to speak to the bar full of foreigners. We were completely unprepared, but managed to get the point across. Most of the people were extremely kind and supportive of our project. It was a beautiful evening.

We had a wonderful time with Pam and her family. Their house was chock-full of items I haven’t seen since I left America almost a year ago: Smucker’s jelly, Old El Paso salsa, Colorado Coffee, and yummy cheese. We took a rest day to check out the old part of the city, where the famous gardens are.

The gardens were beautiful and I drew some money out of my personal account to buy two QiPaos (Chinese style dresses) from a local shop. That night we had a happy hour with Pam and Ernie on their beautiful balcony. It felt so good to be in the company of like-minded Americans. There’s something about spending time with people of similar roots that just feels so good; especially in a place so very far from anything that resembles a comfort zone. Later that evening, we met up with two of Pam and Ernie’s friends at a Mexican restaurant where they offered to treat us to dinner. Yes, I said A MEXICAN RESTAURANT. I was so excited. Their friends were also from Colorado- from Leadville. I was so excited to be around Americans at a Mexican restaurant that the flow of margaritas carried me away. It was a fantastic night followed by a terrible morning. It was my second time walking with a hangover and my second time hating myself for it. Someday I’ll be smarter. Just....just not today. 

Hangzhou

On the day that we played tennis with Hongchang, we also met local volunteers from a suburb of Hangzhou. They were so kind. They put us up in a nice hotel and took us to dinner at a beautiful vegetarian hotpot 

restaurant. That was the best meal I’ve ever eaten in China. After dinner we were scheduled to speak in front of students and local volunteers at the library. We arrived early and talked with the students while the leaders hooked up their new projector to show our videos. Our presentation went great. It was the first time we have spoken in public about our project, and we were excited to share our story. We introduced ourselves, played videos, told our story, and answered questions from the crowd at the end. Annimal translated for me when I spoke since nobody spoke English. It was a great night with very supportive people.  

Getting to Hangzhou seemed to take an eternity. It was such a beautiful portion of the walk, though. The rivers and mountains calmed my anxiety. When we finally got to the outskirts of the

city, I was ecstatic. Armaan and Sarah had found us through Facebook and offered to host us. They are wonderful people who have an adorable little boy who loves to tell stories and show off his writing skills. That night Sarah prepared us a traditional Indian dinner that was absolutely delicious- a welcome change from steamed egg and vegetable soup. I’m pretty sure I talked their ears off, as they were the first English-speakers we’d met in almost two months. The next day we packed up early to go to the school where Armaan teaches and where we were scheduled to speak. We spent the day giving 6 presentations to over 100 students (in English this time!). Some of the students were reluctant to interact or ask questions, but others were very

outgoing. The most vocal class was a group of upperclassmen that all plan to attend school in America next year. It was great to share insight with them about living in a foreign country. I secretly hoped that they will have an easier time acclimating to America than I have to China. At the end of the school day we said goodbye to Armaan and walked toward the city to meet our next host, Angie. Angie and her husband also have an adorable little boy. They live in a beautiful apartment in the heart of Hangzhou. We walked all day and arrived to their apartment late in the afternoon. Angie let us settle in, and then we went out for dinner to meet Tim, whom Armaan connected us to. Tim is a vibrant and kind man who frequents many social groups in HZ. He introduced us to many people that night, including the host for bar trivia at The

Vineyard, Brent, from Colorado. Brent announced the news about our trip and sent an ice bucket around the bar which was full of mostly foreigners to collect donations. After trivia Brent handed me an ice bucket full of money for our charitey- over 1200 RMB in total. Between beer, bar trivia, and great conversation, it was exactly the kind of evening I had hoped for.

The next day I woke up late and we had lunch with Angie and her husband and son. After lunch we went to West Lake- a lake in Hangzhou, famous for its beauty. Ann and I were too tired to walk around, so we sat and drank coffee and enjoyed the lake from Starbucks. Ann thought this was a shame, but I thought it was a lovely afternoon. That night Annimal and I split. She went to meet Chinese volunteers from Hangzhou, while I had committed to speak at Cracking China, a club of mostly foreigners who gather each week for community and ideas to get out and explore the world around them. One of their founders, Alex, heard about our project and invited me to speak about it at their meeting. I could tell it was going to be a great night when the first person I was introduced to was from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“HOW much do you miss green chile?!” were his first words to me. Typical New Mexican. I immediately felt at home. The room filled with people as I prepared my presentation. I was nervous, groping for information from every psychology article I’ve ever read about succeeding at public speaking. I had just spent a whole day talking to students, but this was different. These were my peers. My nerves wore off as I began talking. Telling our story

reminded me how amazing it is to be able to share passion with other people. The group’s kind faces and attentive smiles helped me relax and give a solid presentation that I was proud of. When I finished speaking, I answered a few great questions from the audience. Then I sat down to watch the next presenter. As I was listening, Jonny, a friendly Englishman, squatted down next to me and asked if I’d like to join them for pizza and beer after the meeting. He didn’t even finish the question before I whole-heartedly agreed. A small group of us went to The Vineyard (again. I was in town for two days and managed to become a regular) after the meeting and had great conversation over Western food. Jonny from England and Alice from France were very encouraging, asking questions about the logistics of the trip and expressing their awe of our willingness to say yes to such an adventure. We had a lovely night. Most of all, it simply felt good to be among friends. 

Game Changer

Having my tennis racquets with me is a game-changer. The first time I played tennis with a child on this trip was before I even had my racquets. I only had a quickstart ball and we used badminton racquets to play ball in their driveway. We bent the racquets, but we had a lot of fun. Now that I have my Prince Shark and a cheap-o made-in-China kiddie racquet, I can really play. They were brought up last week by a few volunteers who came up from Zhongshan to bring us supplies. Getting care packages is so refreshing- a boost for our bodies and minds. In my bag of goodies was another pair of shorts, Burt’s Bees lip balm, Dr. Bronner’s soap, vegan protein powder, Kind Bars from America, my sticks (racquets) and a few Quickstart balls. Now I am always looking for kids to play tennis with. The day after our supplies arrived, we said goodbye to the volunteers who came to visit us and set off for what we knew would be a long stint to the next big city called Hangzhou. That afternoon we stopped for lunch at a noodle shop. There were a few children running around playing with toy swords. They

stopped in their tracks when they saw me, and asked about the racquets on my bag.

“Ni yao da wangqiu ma?” I asked.  Do you want to play tennis?

One of the boys shook his head yes. As Ann and I waited for our food to come, the kid and I played. I showed the kid how to use the racquet and made a few gentle corrections. People in the shop came out to take pictures. People heading to the market stopped to watch us. His friends cheered him on, “Jai You! Jai you!” Before long, he was hitting volleys, sliding into forehands, and closing in on me. It was so much fun.

With my sticks in tow, this trip has a renewed sense of purpose for me. For years, I have loved the idea of putting a tennis racquet into the hands of someone who has never played before- someone who might otherwise never be exposed to the great game. Can you imagine being a child in a village in

rural China, seeing a foreigner for the first time in your life and playing tennis with her? Neither can I. But it’s an amazing experience from every angle. I love this game and I love spreading my passion for it because it has the potential to change lives. I know this because I’ve lived it. The game of tennis has connected me to important and influential people. It has taken me places and given me a sense of community once I got there. It supported me through college and beyond. Tennis is what brought me to China in the first place. I owe a lot to the game, and I’m excited to share this amazing sport with the people we meet along the way.

One of these people is named HongChang. We saw him and his family while we were walking across a bridge on the outskirts of Hangzhou. We doubled back to meet them because HongChang had a very apparent disability and we wanted to know their story. He is in an electric wheelchair because he has a disease that makes his muscles degenerate rapidly. He was very weak,

struggling even to push the joystick that makes his wheelchair move. He and his family live in their shack that also serves as their family’s truck mechanic business. We brought them some fruit and stopped to talk with them. Sitting around a small table in a cold concrete building were two men, a woman, a small child, and the boy in the wheelchair. At first they did not want to let us in. They were nervous about the two women who were at their door, surely questioning our intentions. They had never seen a foreigner before. Ann shared with them our cause and told them about our journey. They warmed up and invited us to sit down. We gave them the fruit and asked about their son. A little girl danced around the mother’s feet, grabbing the unwashed grapes out of the bag and eating them. They shared with us that HongChang had a brother who died at the age of 16 from the same disease. HongChang is 15. They receive very little support from the

government and they were fined 45,000 RMB for adopting their little girl. They adopted her so they would have a child to outlive them and take care of them when they become old. They talked openly about the fact that HongChang will die soon. I thought back to my experience with Special Olympics in the States. I have worked with athletes with a more severe disability than HongChang has. I’ve never played tennis with such a person, but I was confident that I could show HongChang a great time with a racquet. I asked Ann to ask him if he would like to play. He said yes. We went outside to the dirt lot where people were working on truck engines. HongChang had just enough strength to grip the kiddie racquet in his little hand. Ann filmed as I walked him through a few basic ball-handling skills. With little assistance, he balanced the ball on the racquet, rolled it around the rim, and bounced it up and down. I repositioned the racquet upright in his hand and tossed the ball for him to hit volleys. He did a fantastic job following instruction, and it was obvious that he was using all of his will and might to hold the racquet. His mother held his baby sister as she watched, absolutely beaming with happiness and pride. Annimal and I wondered when they last felt so much joy, and whether or not they will ever feel it again. Annimal talked to HongChang’s mother as I continued to play with him and his little sister, who was also taking to the sport (even though my racquet is bigger than she

is). We spent about an hour playing and talking with them before we had to keep walking. It was one of the best hours of the trip…of my life. I left HongChang with one of the three quickstart balls I have with me so he can practice squeezing it to try to keep his limited muscle strength. I walked away trying to block out thought that HongChang is late in the fifth set of his unfortunate lifespan. As we walked away, I rode the wave of overwhelming positivity from the hour we were able to spend with him. He could barely hold a racquet, yet he’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met. The smile on his face is forever imprinted in my mind and for that I am so thankful. 

Matters of the Heart

During the first half of this journey, I was full of self-doubt and insecurity.

People had asked me if I was crazy so many times that I began to question myself, too. Am I crazy? Who the hell am I to walk across China for a bunch of kids?! I’m a 23 year old girl who didn’t speak a lick of Chinese! Aaaand I came here to be a TENNIS PRO! This is a mixture of my words and the words of others. When I wasn’t doubting myself I was anxious, hoping nothing would go wrong to prove the other doubters right. It was exhausting. But lately, something has shifted in me. Maybe it was the lightning strike or the red moon or getting over the halfway hump of this walk. (Walk 1100 kilometeres across China? We can do that. How do I know? Because we’ve already done it once.) Also, I’ve realized that the doubters WERE right! Things HAVE gone wrong. We have been exhausted, blistered, cold, hungry, sick, I've been sexually assaulted (thankfully it wasn't worse, but assault is assault) and we've been shit out of luck MANY TIMES so far. And you know what? We survived. And we’re stronger because of those awful moments. Whatever it is that contributed to this heart shift, I like it. I’ve been

immersing myself in the things that inspire me- craving inspiration like a salty snack. I’ve watched Shane McConkey ski off of cliffs over and over this week. In one of his tribute videos, he reads a letter that he wrote in the 8^th grade. The prompt was ‘What would you do if you only had a month to live?’ 8^th grade Shane McConkey wrote that he’d like to spend his last month skydiving, base jumping, and skiing off of cliffs into soft powder. As a professional extreme skier, he did all of these things on a regular basis. Even though Shane McConkey died too young, he lived more life in 39 years than most people do in 90.

If I had a thirty short days to live, I’d spend them on this walk. I’d crawl to

Tiananmen if I had to…not for the pride of finishing, but because this adventure has completely captured my heart. I’m in love with the story we’re creating. There have been so many times in my life that I’ve wanted to be elsewhere. When I was young(er), I would look up at passing airplanes in the sky and fantasize about being on one, on my way to some amazing adventure in a beautiful location. I’m currently on that amazing adventure in the breathtaking mountains of China. And I don't want to be anywhere else in the world right now.

. 

"Things Dangerous To Come To......"

It seems that today we are contestants in a game titled “How Many Weird Things Can Happen Within a Few Hours?” It’s a SUPER fun game, and I’d like to think we’re winning.

Today started as every day on this walk does. We got up early, packed our

things, and left our hotel room at 7:30. We’ve been leaving earlier than usual the past few days because it has been getting very hot in the afternoon. We learned this lesson the hard way, as Ann almost had a heat stroke late in the afternoon a few days ago. She broke down, claiming she wasn’t strong enough to keep going in the heat. I claimed that a person who knows their own limits and can communicate them is a stronger person than one who keeps quiet, dwelling in silent, lonely, dangerous misery. I think Annimal prayed to GuanYin to turn off the heat and, unfortunately, the prayer was answered. Today it is cool and it’s currently raining heavily.

Before it started raining, we were walking through construction, weaving to avoid roadblocks and passing cars. I passed an old man on the roadside, then stopped when a car pulled over to talk to me and offer me a ride. Annimal was just ahead, and I explained to the people that we were walking. The old man had caught up to us. We continued walking and he asked what we were doing. I explained to him that we were walking to Beijing and he gave me a “Lihai!” (You’re great) and a pat on the shoulder.

‘Okay, easy old man’ I thought as he kept patting my shoulder. Then he moved south. For a fraction of a second I had to question if this was reality. Did this old man really just put his hand on my ass?! He fit in a quick squeeze before my brain caught up to reality and I finally reacted.

“Whoa!! Hey!!” I yelled as I gave him a hard shove away from me. As he stumbled backwards, I turned around and glared at him. He looked shocked, as if he had just been wronged. A sexual predator playing the victim…..how original. Ann didn’t see it happen, but she sensed the tension and gave him an angry mouthful as I jumped over the guardrail and we stormed away. I hope it was worth it for the dirty old bird; it probably was….after walking 1,000 kilometers, my ass is FIT. I almost don’t blame the guy. 

That’s a lie- he’s an asshole.

We carried on and it began to rain heavily. Thankfully, it’s not cold. So we are wet, but not miserable. We walked by another traffic jam. A large truck had flipped over on the freeway, completely blocking all three lanes of traffic. As we were walking over an overpass, the rain poured down in buckets and, every once in a while, thunder boomed around us. It seemed to get closer and closer until it was right above us. I saw a bright flash of light in my peripheral, which was immediately followed by a deafening CRACK of thunder that was as loud as a truck horn. My heart jumped out of my chest and I whipped around to make sure Ann hadn’t been fried to a crisp. Thankfully, she was fine.

We’re currently waiting out the rain in this coffee shop, hoping that the lightning strike can turn the energy of this strange day around.