Kindness Around Every Korner

"Would you like to use this umbrella?" the Chinese man asked as he rode by on his bike as we headed home from the university grocery market. He didn't know us, but it was raining hard, and he had an umbrella in his bike basket that he offered us. We didn't take him up on it, but how thoughtful was that gesture to a total stranger?!?!?!? (He is a teacher of English here in our university, so he knew English, but he is also a native Chinese.) Oh, so thoughtful.

"Envelopes," we were trying to pantomime for the clerk in the store. She couldn't figure out our crude attempts at the word Envelope. Standing nearby a beautiful young Chinese lady asked if we needed help. Her English was heavily accented, as we tried to explain the word "envelope."

In a minute, the light in her eyes went on...."Oh, yes, yes." She then turned to the clerk and explained, but he shoook his head, "Bu...." meaning no. We thanked her, and went shopping in the small mall in a couple of other stores. About ten minutes later, the young Chinese lady came back with half dozen envelopes and said, "Here are some for you. I thought you might have a difficult time in finding them." Oh, so thoughtful.

All of us were hungry. We had not been able to eat or drink before the health/blood taste at the Chinese center for immigrants. It was after ten o'clock, and we were still waiting for some of the others to complete their health checks. There were 8 of us foreign teachers getting the required health screening, and it was taking quite a long time - the lines were long, there were many others involved. Our liaison, Nancy, said, "I will be right back." Soon she came back with cups of flavored soy milk and some sticky buns, which she explained were a favorite breakfast in Guangzhou. Oh, so thoughtful.

Nancy, our liaison with the university...she has been just incredibly helpful...when she says she will check on something, she does. We love her!

I'm sure that we will evenutally encounter not-so-kind, but so far, our experience has been....

Kindnesses around every korner.