A Day in Shanghai

District Conference for all the members with non-Chinese passports was held in Shanghai yesterday. Elder Oaks presided and Elder Perkins and their wives were with him. The District Conference was so wonderful! It was honestly so comforting to see Elder Oaks sitting on the stand. In a land where the Gospel cannot be preached freely, it was almost a relief to see and listen to an Apostle of the Lord. After the District Conference, Elder Oaks and Sister Oaks spoke at a devotional held immediately after for all the young single adults. Sister Oaks is hilarious! You can’t help but feel good when you are around her. She is sincere and humble, and she is also lively and fun. Elder Oaks even told us that when they were “getting acquainted with one another,” (it took me a second to understand what he was talking about) Sister Oaks told him that she was a “temple freak!” He said he had never heard that term before and didn’t quite know what to think of it, but that he has since come to understand her meaning and that he loves her it. What?! Wow! I decided a mark of a special woman is when you can use the word “freak” to garner the love of an Apostle. They were so genuine and sincere, and I really appreciated their counsel and advice. Our Nanjing Branch choir sang the closing hymn. It was a wonderful day of meetings, and I felt strengthened and refreshed.

Now, for the adventure traveling to and from Shanghai. :) I woke up at 4:30 a.m., showered, shaved, ate breakfast, and we were out the door a little bit before 5. We took a taxi to the train station and met our program director there. We took the fast train to Shanghai, and it certainly seemed fast to me! All I remember is sitting down, putting in my iPod, and then I woke up in Shanghai. Not bad. There were people everyone! Our program director told us the address and suggested that we take a taxi. We flagged down a taxi, got into the taxi, got right back out of the taxi after the taxi driver tried to rip us off, got onto the subway, rode it seven stops, asked people where the building was, and made it to the building with five minutes to spare!

The ride back to Nanjing provided both entertainment and adventure. I got onto the train and realized that someone was sitting in my seat. I guess that is just normal in China (there is no order anywhere!), so I sat down next to two men. They were hilarious! I think I spent the next hour entertaining them with my efforts to learn Chinese. We were laughing the whole time! When I was talking to them, a lady from across the row touched my arm and told me that I was sitting in her son’s seat. I couldn’t see her son. I asked her if she wanted me to move. She said no. So I stayed put. Easy enough. She spent the next 45 minutes teaching me about life. Finance is bad. Girls are bad. Rely on yourself. Thanks, just the life I am looking for! When both of the old guys got off the train, two teenage girls came and sat next to me. People started to giggle. I decided it was an opportune time to take a nice train nap. I woke up in Nanjing. We walked towards the exit, and the train station was a sight to behold. I felt trapped in what seemed like a sea of black hair! I felt tall and I felt white.

To exit the train station, you have to walk through a gate and show a person your ticket. I was kind of out-of-it, and I didn’t realize what they wanted until I was almost up to the gate. The lady asked for my ticket (as I was being pushed forward by the throngs of people behind me), and I told her I had to get it out of my pocket. In what can only be considered a technically sound block out (knees bent, back straight, arms up, and bum (Jon) out) she boxed me into this little area in between the two gates while I looked for my ticket. I was exhausted and I couldn’t find it right away. Is it really that big of a deal anyway? I figured the little woman wouldn’t mind if I just said I didn’t know where it was as I casually walked on through. Wrong. She boxed me out again (“Hey ref, can I get a foul?!”), and this time added in some pointed Chinese. I was surprised (and a little impressed) and I told her I couldn’t find it and that I was sorry. I tried to keep walking. I wasn’t going anywhere. :) Her Chinese got louder. My Chinese got louder. Luckily, right then I found my ticket and gave it to her. The box out that would have made Tom Izzo proud ceased, and I was free to go home. I was able to reconnect with my roommates amidst the mass of people, and we got home around 7:30 p.m.

It was a long day, but it was a great day! All I can say is that the adventure never ends!