I started having a sore throat on Friday and I felt awful during my classes on Saturday. I think I had a fever, but it's hard to tell when it's already so hot. In the Taipei airport, there is a thermal scanner and if you have a fever, they can quarantine you there for an extended amount of time. I only had a small window of time to see Laura play in the Olympics and I had to be back by Tuesday to teach class. Any hint of fever would ruin everything.
It was a roller coaster trying to get a ticket to the games from the start. I didn't have my teaching schedule, so I couldn't buy tickets, and when I got my schedule, they wouldn't release my passport because our administrators were trying to open bank accounts for us. And then they sold out of tickets to the opening ceremonie. I had gotten my hopes so high and I was afraid they were going to be dashed. It seemed too good to be true anyway.
After a couple of weeks of anxiety, sure that nothing was actually going to work out, this weekend proved to be a weekend of conquests, one after the other.
Erica was flying to DaNang, Vietnam and we were both nervous about our trips. We sat down and spoke to our Father together, pleading for protection, traveling mercies, and confidence that His will would be done no matter what. This put me more at ease, but I found that even after something went right, I needed to repeat the conversation over and over again.
On Saturday night after class, Erica and I tried talking to the security guy in front of our building. I had learned how to say, "I need a taxi. Sunday," and I was really excited to practice. We wrote down 4:00 even though i didn't know how to say a.m. There was a lot of talking and nodding (from both sides), but we have found that in the Vietnamese culture, people frequently will say yes because they think it is what you want to hear. I thought there was a chance that he understood, but it was unlikely and we were prepared for disappointment. The next morning, we walked up at 4:15; the gate was shut and there was no sign of a taxi. Then, the security guard turned and saw us, and his face lit up. He jumped up to greet us and at that moment, a taxi drove up, honked, and he pulled the gate open. He had understood us! It sounds small, but it was a huge victory. Erica got in the taxi to go to the airport and I went back to sleep, a triumphant smile on my face.
Next was my flight. I took a motorbike taxi to a market on Sunday and then another motorbike taxi to the airport. It’s still such a thrill that I can’t seem to ride one yet without thinking over and over about how much I love life. I haven’t navigated across town by myself yet and I even think I got a decent price. Again, I felt victorious.
I didn’t know that I needed to bring my immigration card to leave the country, and when the officer asked for mine my heart sunk. I had celebrated too early. I tried explaining to him where I live, but when he didn’t understand I wrote it down. He looked up and said, “You write Vietnamese? Very good!” It was just our address that I’ve written a dozen times, but it made me feel so proud. He let me go, but said if I forgot it next time, he wouldn’t be able to help me. Victory.
I flew into Taiwan and when I stepped off the plane, I no longer felt sick at all, even my sinuses were clear. I walked past the quarantine check and the screen that shows heat and saw my figure. I was colored green and blue with only a slight pinkness on my cheeks. When I reached the front, there was a man with a ‘Carolyn Jones’ sign. Laura had paid for an English speaking taxi driver to come pick me up! Later, on the Olympic website I noticed that every hotel in the city was full. If she hadn’t arranged for me to stay with one of her friends’ mom, I don’t know what I would have done. Unbelievable. Victory.
Even on my journey home from Taipei, everything worked out beautifully. I don't know why I am continually surprised when I am taken care of; maybe the victories are actually over my own doubt. It was the weekend of a lifetime. And speaking of victories, I will post about the Deaflympics very very soon. For now, we sing praises.
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