The ideal sleeping place. I was lying on the street reading a book. It was about 6AM in the morning. I was under a kiosk where people could charge their phones and get WiFi. I arrived in Jinan the night before. China has a strange law banning foreigners from certain hotels and hostels, so I couldn’t find a place to sleep. After getting kicked out from a park bench, I managed to find this kiosk where I set up camp. It was a great place to sleep, it had a slight roof, a clean floor, I could even charge my phone. But it was very public. When I woke up the next morning, the city sidewalk was bustling with people. I read my book in peace until a woman in a luxurious red dress saw me. She crouched down next to me, her jewelry jangling on her wrist. “Why are you sleeping on the street?” she asked in Chinese. “I couldn’t find a place to sleep,” I responded. She stared at me, dumbstruck, then let out a great laugh. “In China, we all think you white people have money! But you don’t!” Then she walked away, laughing. Lesson 1: Get laughed at. Get embarrassed. It’ll do you good. I was standing on the highway as cars whizzed by. My thumb was up. I knew I had to get out of this situation quickly. The sun was hot and the speed limit high, but an hour had passed with no ride. I was in a bad spot for hitchhiking since the road curved ahead. I figured walking up past the curve would improve my chances. As I started walking, a car passed me and screeched to a stop at the most dangerous part of the curve. I sprinted to the car. The driver got out, ran around his car, and opened the rear door to usher me in. I gave my thanks and started to step into the car. Except I was about to sit on top of a sleeping five year old girl! I looked at the driver in panic. He propped his girl up and ushered me in, and then plopped her back down onto my lap. His older daughter looked on laughing from the front seat. Said ancestral hometown. The father was on his way to his ancestral hometown. The older daughter was learning English so I switched to English when I spoke to her. The younger daughter finally awoke in my lap. She looked at me, not surprised, and told daddy she was hungry. We stopped at a rest stop with a McDonald’s. The four of us got out of the car and the father brought his daughter onto his shoulders. “Are you ready for McDonald’s?” he doted, “You can have anything you want.” When we returned to the car, his older daughter and I switched seats. The younger daughter turned out to be far wiser and charismatic than her age allowed. “You speak funny. You should go back to school,” she advised me. The father invited me to stay with them at his hometown. There, he said, we would drink gong fu tea and meet his sister, his brother, his father and all his friends. I agreed to go. As we approached his hometown, he looked off to the hills by the sea. We were right next to the Taiwan Strait. He pointed to the hills. “You see those hills there?” he asked. I nodded. “Just beyond those hills, the government is building a military base.” I nodded again. “I think they will invade in five years. I don’t want war. I love my family.” Lesson 2: The world is in a precarious place. Be prepared for change. “Do you want to come with us?” she asked. What the hell, I thought. Why not? It was early in the day anyways. I had been picked up by a young crowd on their way to a party. Their rich friend owned a large farm in the mountains of Sichuan. We would eat, drink, and then pick mangoes. They would drive me back onto the highway and I would be in Panzhihua by sundown. I agreed. We ate Beijing hotpot, drank baijiu and picked fruit in the mountains. I packed my bag full of fruit. We left around mid-afternoon. I was already drunk. By the time we arrived back at the highway the sun began to set. I bid my friends farewell and tried to hitch a ride. On our way to pick fruit. A man and his reluctant father picked me up in a rickety pickup truck. I could sense the father’s uneasiness, so I tried to find a way to earn his trust. He asked me about America, so I figured he would be interested in seeing American currency. I pulled out a coin gleaming with Washington’s head and gave it to him. He appreciated the gift and made sure his son brought me to the city center. By the time I arrived in Panzhihua, I was exhausted. I didn’t feel like searching for a hostel that would take me. I went to the nearest restaurant and ordered some food as I collected my thoughts. It was raining off and on. I was tired and still drunk. The owner of the restaurant came out to eat with me, as often happens to a Chinese speaking white dude. Between bites of his food and puffs of his cigarette, he would check his phone. Then he laughed and showed me his phone. There was a picture of me back at the party on his social media. He was friends with the hosts of the party. We laughed at the coincidence. He asked where I was sleeping that night. I lied, telling him that I was staying at a nearby hotel. I didn’t want to be offered a place to stay. I don’t know why. In fact, after I left, I didn’t even look for a hostel. I wandered the streets in the rain until I could find a place to sleep. I finally settled on the landing of a concrete staircase. There was no roof, but it was covered by some trees. The rain had stopped anyways. I sat on the staircase and tried to fall asleep. I had a hard time falling asleep. A couple descended the stairs. They talked loudly until they saw me. They hushed their voices and scooted by. It started to rain again and it was too hard to fall asleep. I decided to put on my poncho and munch on some fruit I picked earlier. The poncho helped me relax and I managed to doze with the fruit next to me. Yet, I still couldn’t fall asleep. My arm was a bit itchy. I itched my arm. Then itched again. Then it was on fire. I looked under my poncho to see what was going on. Ants scurrying in every direction infested the whole arm. I freaked out. I tore off my poncho. I pulled off my shirt and pants and swiped at the ants. They were on my balls. I took off my underwear too. It began to rain harder. So there I was. Standing naked in the heavy rain, thousands of miles from home. I didn’t know what to do. There was no shelter. My clothes were wet. The ants kept attacking me. I began by tossing the fruit. It was ant-infested anyways. I put on the driest clothes I could find, then the tattered poncho. I stood on the steps angry and tired. Fed up. I had to ask for help. A guard sat in the guardhouse of an apartment complex next to me. I walked over to the little guardhouse. The guard was playing games on his phone. I knocked on the glass door. Startled, the guard looked in every direction except the direction of the knock. I knocked again. He finally looked in my direction. Confused, he opened the door. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “I just wanted to let you know I am here,” I responded stubbornly, only hoping he would invite me in. He responded with silent confusion. We stood in awkward silence in the rain for a few minutes. Then he asked if I wanted to come into the guardhouse. I walked in and told him the story about the ants. We laughed. The guard who saved my ass. I managed to get some sleep that night on the fold up chair in the corner. It was a blessed sleep, despite the occasional ant. I woke up fresh and happy. Once his shift had ended, my new friend and I walked to the city square and ate breakfast. Lesson 3: Get over your pride and ask for help. Harold Bracy recently graduated from Brown University with a degree in Computer Science. Check out his most recent attempt at freedom at Link or contact him at Link . The Ascent A community of storytellers documenting the journey to happiness & fulfillment. Follow 14 Travel Self Improvement Life Lessons Startup Life 14 claps Harold Bracy WRITTEN BY Harold Bracy Follow Harold Bracy recently graduated from Brown University with a degree in Computer Science. Check out his most recent attempt at freedom at Link

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