A Toolbox Full of Crazy Love

For those of you who were wondering, I have not fallen into a crevice without the ability to escape. I have not been taken by the Chinese gevernment. And no. I have not been abducted by aliens. 

I came back from Christmas in a funk. It was so good to see my family. I love them so much. And just like any family, the Blackwater Clan is not perfect. We spent ten days together, cooking at our condo, taking trips into the city, and finding a balance between China and the Western world. There were some disappointing aspects to the vacation (like finding out that the family couldn't come into China), but we also had some great moments (like seeing fireworks over the harbor at midnight on New Year's).

January has been a ‘deer in the headlights’ kind of month for me. The Walk is becoming something huge. Back in August when I said yes to the idea of walking from Zhongshan to Beijing, I knew that I’d be equipped with everything I need to take on this challenge. But I didn’t know what that would look like. A week before departing, I finally have an idea of what my vision will become by looking at the tools I've been given.This is what my ‘Toolbox' looks like today.

Ann Liang.

Ann is my walking partner, spirit guide, and soul sister. She said ‘yes’ to walking with me before she knew me. It sounded like an amazing challenge to her that she was ready to take on (one could argue that the challenge may be dealing with me for four months, not walking 2,000 km). I never thought anyone was crazy enough to join me. Then I met Ann. I love the stories she tells me as we've trained,  walking to nearby villages. My favorites are the most appalling (to an American, anyway) tales of her early childhood. Some of her best memories are

harvesting worms out of bamboo shoots and cooking them on the bbq for an after school snack. To earn extra money for her family, Ann worked in the fields, harvesting flowers for tea. After working a few hours after school every day for A MONTH, Ann earned 1 RMB (1/6 of an American dollar. Roughly 17 cents, American). Needless to say, she didn’t grow up the easy way. In middle school, Ann was sent to live with her Aunt and Uncle in a different city. Ripped away from everything that was comfortable and familiar, she cooked, cleaned, and tried to avoid her mean cousin who terrorized Ann on a regular basis. Later in life, Ann worked at a hotel answering phones. During this time, she taught herself English by listening to cassette tapes over and over and over. Her promising English skills were recognized, and she was invited into an Austrailian English program. Tuition was more than Ann had, but she asked her parents for a loan and finished second in her class. Ann knows how to work hard. She went on to manage an English school, which eventually connected her to Jerry Grey, the love of her life. Now Ann volunteers with the organization that she’s walking for, The Sunshine is Beside You. Their mission is to connect disabled families, creating a system of reciprocity and support. There are 85,000 disabled people in the Zhongshan area. Jerry and Ann have a vision to help them help each other. I’m looking forward to walking with Ann because we have a lot to learn from each other. Despite her myriad life experience, Ann hasn’t mastered the art of asserting her thoughts, ideas, and opinions with confidence. The Walk is already bringing this out of both of us (public speaking will drill this into you quickly, we’re finding). Among many lessons Ann has for me, she will teach me to speak better Chinese- a skill that will help me in the long and short term. Ann Liang and I make a great team. She is my secret weapon and the sharpest tool I’ve been given.

The Berzenjis

Perhaps it’s redundant, but I can’t say enough about this family. They’ve taken me on as a stray. This might not be a big deal in a place where people have huge houses (this family of 7 lives in a four bedroom apartment) or well-paying jobs (these saints are volunteers). But here it is a big deal. I wasn’t able to rent my own apartment since I wasn’t planning to stay in Zhongshan long enough. I actually tried not to live with the Berzenjis. Not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t want to be an inconvenience. I found other places to live and told Adrian the Canadian and Roberta that I ‘had it covered’. Then, one by one, every other door closed and I came home to stay with this crazy little family. The truth is that I wouldn’t have been able to stay in China without them. I wouldn’t have wanted to.

Masha and Jenia

To stay in Zhongshan until The Walk, I needed some income. I spent the Fall sitting on the cushy patio furniture outside of Jam Café in Kayin. This is an actual conversation that went down with a customer while I was working.

Customer: ‘It’s so good to see you, Darrah. Are you just enjoying a day off today?’

Me: ‘Nope. I’m actually working. Right now...........can I get you a drink?’

This conversation took place as I was sitting with customers, talking. And I may or may not have had a cold beverage in my hand. Anyway, working at Jam was the best job ever. Masha and Jenia wanted me around simply because they knew it was good for their business for me to be there. This allowed me to connect with some of the most brilliant people in the area, spread the word about The Walk, and host some pretty amazing nights in Jam. Masha and Jenia are a few of the most badass women I’ve ever met (they are Russians and I’m convinced they could have anyone killed with a flick of their finger) and I love them.

Phil Behan

Phil is a fantastic human with a massive heart. Last year he accompanied Jerry Grey on their 4,500 km

bike ride from Zhuhai to Urumuchi to benefit The Sunshine is Beside You. He has also been phenomenally helpful to The Walk. In the beginning, I met Phil and Jerry at a little restaurant near the heart of the city to talk about the logistics of The Walk. Three hours later, Ann, Jerry, Phil, and I were crawling around on the floor of Ann and Jerry’s apartment looking at maps and arguing about a route. These are my favorite memories of planning The Walk so far. Since then, Phil, an Irishman, has played a key role in keeping my head on straight. See, Phil is a photographer who isn’t afraid to go anywhere. When doing work for the UN, he was in conflict zones so dangerous that only people with ample experience are allowed to go. He and Jerry understand the pressures, annoyances, and excitement that Ann and I are feeling because they experienced it with their ride less than a year ago. Before Phil went back to Ireland with his wife and beautiful children for Christmas, he and I hiked the jungles of China and he filled my brain with the realistic kind of encouragement I've been craving. On top of all of this, Photographer Phil took pictures for our website and directed and shot our promotional video FOR FREE. Words cannot express how grateful I am for this man. To say the least, Phil has been instrumental in the preparation for this walk.
See Phil's Video Here

Tony ‘Shoe’

Tony runs a factory that supplies industrial and outdoors footwear. He is also a great tennis player with a forehand that will make you fear playing the net. On top of that, his last name is actually ‘Shoe’ (an ancient Chinese word meaning ‘awesome’). After a few months of playing tennis with Tony, he heard about The Walk and offered to sponsor our footwear. Ann and I are proud to be sponsored by Tony ‘Shoe’.

Gavin on the Foreigner Affairs Committee

My visa was the biggest issue of The Walk. Gavin helped get the ball rolling to resolve it. I first met Gavin last week at Toastmasters International. He invited Ann and I to give a 15 minute presentation on our upcoming journey and the concept of ‘Ni Keyi’ (‘You Can’- our motto for The Walk). Gavin is the President of the Zhongshan branch of Toastmasters, and he carries the title well. His English is impeccable, and he has mastered the art of being confident, yet humble. I like Gavin very much and I am honored that he is on board with our mission.

Jerry Grey

I told the story of the origin of The Walk in an earlier post. Without retelling the tale, I will say that meeting Jerry was monumental in getting to where we are today. His story of riding 57 days across

China helped me be brave enough to give voice to my idea. One could say that his openness about his insanity gave me the courage to expose my own insanity. Though we spend much of our quality time bantering about whose idea it was to open too many bottles of wine, we bond over the admiration we share for his lovely wife, Ann. I can honestly say that meeting this crazy Englishman was fate, and I’m honored to have him and Ann in my life (just don’t tell him I said that).

Brian

Brian is an American who doesn’t like to be in the spotlight. With respect to that, I’ll simply say that he has already taught us so much about how to travel cheaply and safely. Between teaching Ann how to use a knife and donating a TON of camping gear to us, he has been an important part of making this vision a reality.

Len
I've written about Len before. He is the Austrailian man who created his own social media site for Zhongshan. He is very tech savvy- a great resource for someone who breaks and loses phones on a weekly basis (I always find them). Len is like a technology magician. He can spread the word about an event at lighting speed. It's truly amazing. Len has painted this town red with the words 'Ni keyi'
Countless Others  

It’s amazing to me how many people are supporting and running away with this idea. We’ve had restaurants and bars host fundraisers for us, newspapers and news stations feature us, and people offer so many words of encouragement, as well as donations. It’s a little bit exhausting and alota bit incredible.

Last week Ann and I went on a test walk. We found a nice spot to camp after logging 21 km. Brian helped me set up my hammock, where I was lounging while Ann, Brian, and his wife lounged near a pond. Our ‘Ni Keyi’ flag was proudly hung in a tree over our tents. I had a moment of clarity where I realized that I have come SO FAR from being sprawled on the floor of my apartment last summer under the weight of fear of this vision. I see now that there is nothing to be afraid. I have almost all the tools I need now. The rest will come in the next week. All I have to do between now and then is remember to breathe.