Grace Over Karma

I came across this interview and remembered again why I like Bono so much. Just another reminder why I'm so thankful for grace over Karma!

For more of the like go to:

http://www.thepoachedegg.net/the-poached-egg/2010/09/bono-interview-grace-over-karma.html

Bono Interview: Grace Over Karma

(Excerpt from the book Bono: In Conversation with Michka Assayas)

Bono: My understanding of the Scriptures has been made simple by the person of Christ. Christ teaches that God is love. What does that mean? What it means for me: a study of the life of Christ. Love here describes itself as a child born in straw poverty, the most vulnerable situation of all, without honor. I don't let my religious world get too complicated. I just kind of go: Well, I think I know what God is. God is love, and as much as I respond [sighs] in allowing myself to be transformed by that love and acting in that love, that's my religion. Where things get complicated for me, is when I try to live this love. Now that's not so easy.

Assayas: What about the God of the Old Testament? He wasn't so "peace and love"?

Bono: There's nothing hippie about my picture of Christ. The Gospels paint a picture of a very demanding, sometimes divisive love, but love it is. I accept the Old Testament as more of an action movie: blood, car chases, evacuations, a lot of special effects, seas dividing, mass murder, adultery. The children of God are running amok, wayward. Maybe that's why they're so relatable. But the way we would see it, those of us who are trying to figure out our Christian conundrum, is that the God of the Old Testament is like the journey from stern father to friend. When you're a child, you need clear directions and some strict rules. But with Christ, we have access in a one-to-one relationship, for, as in the Old Testament, it was more one of worship and awe, a vertical relationship. The New Testament, on the other hand, we look across at a Jesus who looks familiar, horizontal. The combination is what makes the Cross.

Assayas: Speaking of bloody action movies, we were talking about South and Central America last time. The Jesuit priests arrived there with the gospel in one hand and a rifle in the other.

Bono: I know, I know. Religion can be the enemy of God. It's often what happens when God, like Elvis, has left the building. [laughs] A list of instructions where there was once conviction; dogma where once people just did it; a congregation led by a man where once they were led by the Holy Spirit. Discipline replacing discipleship. Why are you chuckling?

Assayas: I was wondering if you said all of that to the Pope the day you met him.

Bono: Let's not get too hard on the Holy Roman Church here. The Church has its problems, but the older I get, the more comfort I find there. The physical experience of being in a crowd of largely humble people, heads bowed, murmuring prayers, stories told in stained-glass windows

Assayas: So you won't be critical.

Bono: No, I can be critical, especially on the topic of contraception. But when I meet someone like Sister Benedicta and see her work with AIDS orphans in Addis Ababa, or Sister Ann doing the same in Malawi, or Father Jack Fenukan and his group Concern all over Africa, when I meet priests and nuns tending to the sick and the poor and giving up much easier lives to do so, I surrender a little easier.

Assayas: But you met the man himself. Was it a great experience?

Bono: [W]e all knew why we were there. The Pontiff was about to make an important statement about the inhumanity and injustice of poor countries spending so much of their national income paying back old loans to rich countries. Serious business. He was fighting hard against his Parkinson's. It was clearly an act of will for him to be there. I was oddly moved by his humility, and then by the incredible speech he made, even if it was in whispers. During the preamble, he seemed to be staring at me. I wondered. Was it the fact that I was wearing my blue fly-shades? So I took them off in case I was causing some offense. When I was introduced to him, he was still staring at them. He kept looking at them in my hand, so I offered them to him as a gift in return for the rosary he had just given me.

Assayas: Didn't he put them on?

Bono: Not only did he put them on, he smiled the wickedest grin you could ever imagine. He was a comedian. His sense of humor was completely intact. Flashbulbs popped, and I thought: "Wow! The Drop the Debt campaign will have the Pope in my glasses on the front page of every newspaper."

Assayas: I don't remember seeing that photograph anywhere, though.

Bono: Nor did we. It seems his courtiers did not have the same sense of humor. Fair enough. I guess they could see the T-shirts.

Later in the conversation:
Assayas: I think I am beginning to understand religion because I have started acting and thinking like a father. What do you make of that?

Bono: Yes, I think that's normal. It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

Assayas: I haven't heard you talk about that.

Bono: I really believe we've moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace.

Assayas: Well, that doesn't make it clearer for me.

Bono: You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics; in physical laws every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It's clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I'm absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that "as you reap, so you will sow" stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

Assayas: I'd be interested to hear that.

Bono: That's between me and God. But I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge. I'd be in deep s---. It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

Assayas: The Son of God who takes away the sins of the world. I wish I could believe in that.

Bono: But I love the idea of the Sacrificial Lamb. I love the idea that God says: Look, you cretins, there are certain results to the way we are, to selfishness, and there's a mortality as part of your very sinful nature, and, let's face it, you're not living a very good life, are you? There are consequences to actions. The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death. That's the point. It should keep us humbled . It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of heaven.

Assayas: That's a great idea, no denying it. Such great hope is wonderful, even though it's close to lunacy, in my view. Christ has his rank among the world's great thinkers. But Son of God, isn't that farfetched?

Bono: No, it's not farfetched to me. Look, the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says: No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: "I'm the Messiah." I'm saying: "I am God incarnate." And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. You're a bit eccentric. We've had John the Baptist eating locusts and wild honey, we can handle that. But don't mention the "M" word! Because, you know, we're gonna have to crucify you. And he goes: No, no. I know you're expecting me to come back with an army, and set you free from these creeps, but actually I am the Messiah. At this point, everyone starts staring at their shoes, and says: Oh, my God, he's gonna keep saying this. So what you're left with is: either Christ was who He said He was the Messiah or a complete nutcase. I mean, we're talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. This man was like some of the people we've been talking about earlier. This man was strapping himself to a bomb, and had "King of the Jews" on his head, and, as they were putting him up on the Cross, was going: OK, martyrdom, here we go. Bring on the pain! I can take it. I'm not joking here. The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that's farfetched

Bono later says it all comes down to how we regard Jesus:

Bono: If only we could be a bit more like Him, the world would be transformed. When I look at the Cross of Christ, what I see up there is all my s--- and everybody else's. So I ask myself a question a lot of people have asked: Who is this man? And was He who He said He was, or was He just a religious nut? And there it is, and that's the question. And no one can talk you into it or out of it.

RELATED POST: Grace Over Bono

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Recommended Reading on U2 and Christianity: We Get to Carry Each Other: The Gospel according to U2 | Walk on: The Spiritual Journey of U2

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Winter

This long dark season
of everything
stripped
to nothing
began so sudden,
overnight,
with the gust of
one phone call,
then never left.
The only miracle here
is waiting
to see
how much night a day
can hold
and still be called
day.
-M.Buchanan

My winter of the soul began a while ago. There have been losses that have taken a toll, the loss of my dad - that brought with it a loss of greater significance than I realized, a lawsuit that took more out of us than we knew, and other losses, more recent and raw that I cannot write about because the wounds are too fresh. I have struggled to write during this season of my heart. I finally gave up altogether. I have posted, only to turn around and remove posts. It is difficult to write in the winter of one's heart. I have been overwhelmed with what a faithless time this seems to be. How Ecclesiastes and Psalm 88 are the words my soul recognizes best, and Jeremiah and the Sons of Korah are my close friends.

I am just beginning to see my winter differently. Maybe because I'm not as afraid of it, as I once was. It still has the power to bring me to my knees but it is here and has taken up residence. I can no longer pretend otherwise. Winter has a way of shaming its residents.

Winter is a time of fruitlessness - or so I thought, until recently. I am learning (ever so slowly) that there are lessons learned in winter that only winter can teach. The landscape of winter is a harsh, wild and raw kind of a thing - it is not dispassionate.

It is desperate.

It is this desperation that gives me hope.

"If some king of the earth have so large an extent of Dominion, in North and South, as that he hath Winter and Summer together in his Dominions, so large an extent East and West, as he hath day and night together in his Dominions, much more has God....He brought light out of darkness, not out of a lesser light; He can bring thy Summer out of Winter, though thou have no Spring; though in the ways of fortune, or understanding, or conscience, thou have been benighted till now, wintered and frozen, clouded and eclipsed, damped and benumbed, smothered and stupefied till now, now God comes to thee, not as in the dawning of the day, not as in the bud of spring, but as the Sun at noon... All times are His seasons."
From Sermon by John Donne 1624

Adventures in China - part 3

"You want to change the world. Travel the world and it will change you." Palmer Chinchen


The remainder of my China visit ran quite smooth. We had a day of workshops with the staff of EF and we heard from several teachers who have led many trips to various locations over the years. It was very helpful to hear details from teachers who organized and ran successful tours in their schools. I came away with a lot of great ideas and I finally feel equipped to take kids and parents to Europe and have the confidence that, even though organizing travel abroad is way more complex than it sounds, my trips with our school will be all I am hoping for.

(Here is a picture of our group - other teachers who are running programs for the first time at their schools and many of the EF staff. )

I must applaud China for their many helpful signs. Here are just a few:

If you visit Beijing you too can enjoy a little snack in the park. In America we might find signs for corn dogs or nachos, but not here.





After my exciting day at the Forbidden City, I rejoined my group for some shopping and dinner. The shopping was quite interesting.



This is Bruce. Bruce is a wild and crazy guy. He is a professor at Liberty University and one of the experienced group leaders who spoke to us during the training time. I appreciated Bruce a lot on this trip. We searched for mugs with pictures of China for Bruce to take back home. While we looked for mugs we got distracted by the local culinary treats.

Unidentified food for sale.


Identified food for sale. Several teachers on our group tried these. I was not one them.

Teachers are fun people:


We attended a very impressive Kung Fu show.

I don't really know Kung Fu.
Sometimes we weren't really sure what we were eating.

Welcome to the Temple of Heaven Park. This park is located in the heart of Beijing. It is 4 times the size of the Forbidden City - which is staggering to consider. You better be sure I kept my eyes on my guide the whole time we were here.
This park was recently featured in The Amazing Race. It was really fun to be at the same place!

We enjoyed more shopping. I know this shirt is in poor taste. But it is my story.




This is a squatty potty in China. If you ever visit China it is helpful to know in advance that this is what you will need to familiarize yourself with. Consider this a public service announcement. You're welcome.

There is a Disneyfied version of Chinese shopping. It was pretty and clean. And very expensive and caters to foreigners, primarily American.



One street down I came across this. This is where I'd rather shop any day. It was full of mostly locals and felt more authentic than the touristy version.Starbucks is truly everywhere. I'm not complaining. I was thankful for a carmel machiato. I actually bought a mug and am now officially starting a Starbucks mug collection from all over the world. Don't ask me why. It seemed like a good idea at the time.




More shopping. One of the things I really love about China is the color of their buildings.



I think this kitty is on life #9.

Here I am on the last evening with our local guide, Daniel.


The air quality is so poor. I know I mentioned this in an earlier post but I did a little research and learned that China leads the world in carbon emissions and that more than one third of the air pollution affecting California originates in China. That's shocking when you consider China is 4,000 miles from California. Part of the problem is what lies 50 miles from Beijing: the Gobi Desert. Every year the dust storms dump more than a million tons of sand on Beijing. One report I recently read claimed 700,000 people die each year in China, from simply breathing the air.
The author made a point of noting that this is roughly the population of San Francisco. I think we'd take notice if the population of San Francisco disappeared, but in China air pollution statistics are not made public.

Also, and this is just my observation, everyone smokes. Our taxi cab driver smoked, people in elevators smoke, and clearly whoever stayed in our room before we arrived, smoked.

Which brings to my next observation. You must be careful where you walk if you visit China. It appears kleenex is missing a market share here. Maybe the company should set up shop and introduce themselves. A morning in China is routinely greeted by residents purging mucus from their bodies onto the sidewalks. Some might call this spitting.

I wouldn't.

Young children do not wear diapers in China. It is common to observe them piddling or more in the street. This certainly saves landfills, but unfortunately creates other problems, mainly for tourists wishing to avoid SARS.

Truly you have to watch where you walk because between dodging the traffic, rogue cyclists, toilet training toddlers and the flying phlegm you've got your work cut out for you.


The real thrill (other than my Forbidden City experience) came when we traveled to the Great Wall.

We traveled to Mutianyu, approximately 90 minutes from Beijing, to see the Great Wall. This wall winds across China like an earthen serpent, twisting and uncoiling over rugged terrain. Impervious to mountains, it is a symbol of China's strength and isolation.
I read somewhere in a guidebook that you should avoid using a mobile phone in a thunderstorm if you're on the Great wall.

Guidebooks are helpful that way.

We took a gondola up to the Great wall.

I am so happy right now! I can't believe I am standing on this wonder of the world.
Yep - that's me. I'm happy!
Bruce is also happy! A little sweaty, but none the less happy!


There are some more of our group waving to us. This is a picture of me with my roomie - Yolanda.
I learned (after the fact) that you can take a luge down from the top of the Great wall. All I can say is I was thoroughly disappointed to not have this information when I was at the top- I would have loved to toboggan down the mountain. If you travel to the Great Wall - take the sled down - for me. Please!


One of the very interesting things I learned as I climbed several of the steps to the structures on the wall is that the steps are very uneven. Some steps are one or two feet in height and another next to it might be 4 inches. It was very strange. Our guide told us that it was a strategic move when the wall was constructed. It made it much more difficult for invaders to attack when they couldn't move quickly or determine the distance from a far. I thought that was pretty ingenious.
The Great Wall was built in the sixteenth century during the Ming Dynasty. It is believed to have been 4,500 miles long - but no one knows for certain how long it was. That is because sections of this wall are still being found today. Designed to keep the Mongols at bay, the wall was constructed by over 2 million peasants, many of whom were buried inside the wall when they happened to die during their labors. China is fond of walls. It makes sense that they would construct the greatest wall known to man. Over time the wall fell into disrepair. Neighboring villages noticed the stash of unused bricks and figured why waste something that's just sitting around and they took the bricks and used them to build shops and homes. China is not a country to waste anything.

China is an ancient, backward, and yet, often modern country.
(The Bird's Nest)


It is a land of mystery. I find the people of China to be almost as much a mystery as the land itself. Our tour guide mentioned something that I've thought about quite a bit. He said that people in China just want small lives. I have been reflecting on this for a few days now. I think what he meant was that people in China are content with their lot. And yet, the idea of wanting a small life seems so foreign. I can honestly say I would never want a small life. I want to tip my glass back and drink in all that this journey called life has to offer. Because it is a shorter journey than we realize.

And yet, I wonder at Daniel's words. Does a desire for a large life indicate a discontent spirit - one that seeks to be filled with that which can only be satisfied in something greater? or is it a desire to embrace all that God has allowed us to experience while we can? I suppose each traveler has to answer that question for himself. Maybe the answer is in where we find our contentment. Is it in the doing or the Being?

Sometimes the two are blurred and that can be a very dangerous thing.

My trip to China was amazing! I honestly wouldn't change a thing. I've mentioned the good, the bad and the ugly, but I would go back in a heartbeat. And even the uncomfortable situations taught me much about myself and reminded me to trust in the One who watches over me.

That never changes no matter where I am.

It is a marvelous thing to experience a culture so entirely different from one's own. I am left with an appreciation for China and her people that I did not have before, but I am also very appreciative of my own culture. That, I think is a remarkable gift. So for now I say good-bye to China. I hope to one day return.

Xiexie

Adventures in China - part 2

If you are just joining the adventure I must warn you that this is the second part of a no doubt made for t.v. miniseries - so I must insist you first read part one before venturing to this next section.

Hopefully you took my advice and are now oh so thankful you did. Fantastic edge of your seat kind of reading huh?

This section of my story picks up at the end of the Summer Palace tour and on to our next destination: Tinanmen Square.
It was 1989 and in an Orwellian scene I will never forget, I watched the tanks roll toward the student protesters gathered in Tinanmen Square to peacefully protest their government's policies. I was profoundly moved by the courage of the students. Shortly after those initial images were broadcast across the world, all reporters were escorted out of Beijing and we were left to guess the fates of those gathered in that square that day.

Tinanmen Square is the largest city square in the world. Over 1 million people could easily assemble here - if such an assembly were legal - which it is not and I would suggest against it. Also no vehicles are allowed in Tinanmen Square - tanks are okay.

Here I am standing in Tinanmen Square and if you look closely you can see the gigantic portrait of Mao Zedong hanging, oddly enough, on the Gate of Heavenly Peace - just another weird juxtaposition you'll find if you visit.

Let's talk about the Chairman for just a bit. Mao emerged on the scene in 1949. He was nothing if not ambitious and set his sites on China's global domination. One of Mao's more bizarre ideas was to order the death of every sparrow in China. Since sparrows ate grain, and Mao was big on exporting grain, this must have seemed like a fail-safe plan. Unfortunately the sudden demise of the insignificant sparrow would have catastrophic results for China. Over the course of the next three years a famine unparalleled would strike China. The nation starved like no other nation before.

Mao is perhaps most famous for his Cultural Revolution during the sixties. This sounds like an innocuous title. The cultural revolution was a revolution against the "Four Olds" - old customs, old ideas, old habits and old culture. Mao and his posse encouraged bands of teenagers to carry out his mayhem throughout China. The youths were given free reign to kill and torture anyone suspected of having the four olds. Teachers were particularly targeted. In one month alone, over 2,000 people in the city of Beijing were killed and the sadist red guard youths not only killed their teachers but ate them - in the school cafeteria. Paintings, buildings and historical monuments were destroyed throughout China.Mao is believed to be responsible for the death of over 70 million people during his reign. Hitler and Stalin look like schoolyard bullies compared to the Chairman. And yet one of the most striking things about China is that Mao is everywhere. He is on every piece of money. His picture is revered all over the city. He is probably one of history's greatest villains who attempted to destroy his own culture and yet he is still honored across the country.

(Pictures of Mao for sale in Beijing market.)

Our group headed over to the Forbidden city, conveniently located directly across the street from Tinanmen Square.

Now - there is no way to appropriately capture the scope of this compound. This is the first courtyard - there are several (not sure how many) others exactly the same. This is important information later. Remember this. In order to get to this first courtyard we walked a good ten minutes journey from the entrance. It really is a vast city.


I found the details around the city so beautiful. I had to document them.

I made my way up the stairs and got in line to view inside the palace. Personal space, a wholly unfamiliar concept in China, is one of those luxuries I quickly learned I would need to shed here. The queue is also an endangered species in this country. I thought this was isolated to waiting for transportation. But it is not. Waiting in line should be considered a contact sport in China. I was elbowed, stepped on, and muscled around all by four foot two Chinese grandmothers. I lost my waterbottle and was shoved out of position. I was not deterred, however. I decided to adopt the new country's standards and flung my elbows and shoulders out and somehow managed to move forward, although I was bypassed for awhile by some dozens of people in the melee. Lining up in China is not for the faint of heart. I managed to get to the front and snapped a very unremarkable picture of the inside of the emperor's home.


It's not really worth a mention - but after what I'd been through to get the picture - you better believe I'm posting it.

There are many side rooms throughout the Forbidden City. The Hall of Military Prowess was one of my favorite. I also thought the name was impressive.

It was approaching the time I was to gather up with my group. In the jostle to view the Emperor's throne I lost the others from my group. No worries because I knew we would all be meeting up soon.

I began walking to the meeting spot. Earlier, our local guide had pointed to an area up ahead on the left as our point of assembly. I reached the spot he pointed to but no one from my group had arrived yet. No problem, I thought. I like to be a few minutes early - and I was so I decided to wait. After about 10 minutes I began to get concerned. No one from my group was anywhere around. This was not a good sign. I decided to walk back across the courtyard and stand over near our point of entry. After standing there for several minutes I again walked back across the courtyard to the place I thought our guide had pointed to. I did this five times. Here is a picture of the courtyard:
I also neglected to mention that the heat in July in Beijing is like nothing I've ever experienced in my life - and as a kid I used to spend entire summers in Phoenix. Jim and I once traveled to Georgia to be in a wedding in August - that didn't even come close to what it was like in China.

I waited for an hour at the exit for my group. It is a remarkable thing to be completely lost in China. I would not recommend it.

When I first realized I was lost, I was mortified. How could I, a responsible teacher, learning to lead groups of students in foreign countries become lost? I was also feeling so awful for my group. I didn't want to be responsible for messing up anyone's plans or for worry on the part of my group. That was my concern the first 45 min. After that, I started to become a mite worried. By hour 3 I was pretty sure I would be sleeping out on the streets in Beijing.

After waiting for over an hour at the exit, I decided to try and walk out to the very front of the complex to see if I could think of what to do next. Oh, I should point out that I tried to talk to a security guard but they spoke no English, and I only learned a few phrases, like "thank you" in Mandarin or "Excuse me. I am not proficient in squatting, is there another toilet option?"so it was not a helpful exchange.

As I walked I considered my options. My phones (I brought two, just to be safe) would not call out. I did, thank the Lord in heaven, happen to pick up a hotel card the night before. I figured I might stand a chance of catching a taxi.

I stood under the gigantic picture of Mao. I reasoned if I were lost in New York it would make sense to make my way to a national landmark - like the Empire State Building - and wait. And I recently watched Sleepless in Seattle. I figured the picture of Mao was probably as nationalistic as you could get - maybe someone would follow my logic and find me. I was also positioned directly across from Tinanmen Square and at the entrance to the Forbidden City. While waiting I snapped this photo of China's red guards (don't know if they're still called this) marching and I was again reminded that teachers have not faired well in China in the past.

While I waited at the entrance I searched every face that passed by, hoping to see someone familiar. I was approached by a smiling Chinese man who asked in broken English if I needed something. Oh joy! Someone who shared my mother tongue! Relief poured over me and I felt a kindred affection for this kind man.

"I'm lost." I began. "I was with my group and I can't find them - we got separated, and it's been over 3 hours and I don't know what to do next. My phones won't work - stupid Verizon - and I am thinking of trying to hail a taxi but I haven't seen a single one pass by and..."

"So sorry." he interrupted. "We take picture."

I stared at him blankly for awhile. "You don't understand me?"

"Take picture?"

"No problem." I said. I mean it wasn't as if I was going anywhere.

Just then, when I thought things couldn't get any weirder, he turned to me and said,

"Thank you for visiting China."

Sure. My pleasure. Glad to do what I can.

I continued to wait with Mao for my group.

Another group of Chinese people approached me wanting a photo with the lost American. The same phrase of thanks was offered after the photo shoot.

I tried to imagine myself thanking people for visiting Wenatchee.

I decided Mao was not going to be able to assist me. I once again trudged back to the Forbidden City courtyard.

After waiting inside the courtyard by the exit, I was approached by a vendor. Vendors are everywhere. He tried to sell me a book about the Forbidden city. I declined. I was feeling a bit anxious and didn't really want a souvenir reminder of my horrific day. I also figured I might need to hang on to my money in case I never made it out of Beijing.

I must have been an oddity to him, because he came back to talk to me several minutes later. I quickly realized he had a good grasp of English. I told him my story as succinctly as possible. I showed him my hotel card and explained I needed to get back and could he help me find a taxi. There were no taxis near our area.

Then, what happened next was truly the kindness of God. The Chinese vendor got out his cell phone and let me use it - he even dialed the hotel for me. He spoke to someone at the hotel in Chinese and explained what happened to me. I got on the phone and left a message for the Ef people I was traveling with and I handed the phone to my new friend. I was patched through to my local guide who I was never so happy to hear from. He talked to my rescuer for a long time. I had no idea what they were saying. My Chinese angel hung up the phone and motioned for me to get on the back of his motorbike.

So I rode on the back of some Chinese stranger's motorcycle, weaving in and out of the Forbidden City and down back alleys. No helmets, mind you. No real seat to speak of either. The ride was thrilling. We passed a moat of some type and traveled on for a good 10 minutes.

I contemplated my bizarre situation. I can honestly say there is no circumstance I can think of in which I would jump on the back of a stranger's motorcycle in America. I also briefly considered the possibility that the man driving the bike was part of an international human smuggling ring and might hold me for ransom.

To my great relief, and I cannot stress this enough, I noticed two of my EF guides working their way over to our motorbike.

I thanked my Chinese friend and paid him some money for his kindness and his time and then I did the weirdest thing. I guess the Chinese greeting of thanks was still banging around in my head, because I heard myself say,

"America thanks you."

Really?

I blame it on the stress and heat rash.