finally!!!!!

I'm in China!!!!! It still feels unreal and from time to time, I wait to think whether it's real or a dream.  The journey though was tough. I can't believe I am here happily typing this down..

I have been in China for more than a week now but it feels like a long time and the things I've had to face has made me realize that travelling is more difficult and dangerous than one thinks. 6 Maldivians including me got the opportunity to come to China. The trip we took was long and tiring but it didn't seem like that since we were together and had fun. Aside from a long lost cousin of mine, I knew no one but we bonded quickly and got along well. We even celebrated my birthday at Burger King in Malaysia airport.Yeah, my 22nd birthday was celebrated with me being airborne for more than hours. But it was fun.

After staying at the Malaysian Airport for 3 hours, we took a 6 hour flight to Beijing.Huda and I slept through out the flight and I even missed the opportunity to watch Pirates of the Caribbean on one of the coolest planes I've been on. After reaching Beijing, we were separated,the two who had to study at Beijing was taken to their respective universities by our embassy and we had to wait for the CSC to come pick us up. the ride to out dorm took 30 minutes but we had to wait for 2 hours with no place to sit outside the dorm whilst the collected our documents. The whole night was tiring enough but huda, rifu and Shareef wasted no time the next morning. We went exploring and lost ourselves in the mall. IT was fabulous but very very expensive. That  didn't stop me from buying something from the House of Etude and lunching at Grandma's house!

But our fun had consequences.When we got back Rifu had missed her train to Shanghai and had to pay for her ticket and Shareef nearly missed his. Huda and I were to leave the following morning with mine in the morning. When I reached the train station, I was the only Maldivian and the Chinese people were all staring at me. One girl had even gathered up courage to ask me to take a photo with her. I didn't mind much but the Africans with me were appalled. I could understand where their curiosity was coming from so I didn't mind.I mean they have never seen a brown colored girl covering her hair. I had to travel 18 hours on a train and it was hard. The toilets here are not that clean and it is a big problem. After a grueling train ride I get off to a building only to find out that it was abandoned. There I was, out on the street with a Mozambique man 5:00 in the morning. I started to panic after seeing the building but the guy I was with was as cool as a cucumber. He kept saying that someone will 'open' the place at 6:00. I started panicking, got out on the street and flapped my hands like a crazy person. A taxi driver stopped but he didn't speak English but he had customers who were going to the same place as us. However, they didn't speak much English so we just followed them to another university building. Even then, my heart didn't calm down.I walked up and down and by this time students started coming to the university. When they saw us they ran as if we would gobble them up. After an hour waiting there, my life saver came. She was the only one who approached us. I took the opportunity to show her my Admission letter and she told me, to my horror, that I was in the wrong university.To make matters worse, she told me I was at the wrong city. She took me to the Administrative building, helped me acquire a sim to call the embassy.If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here. I met Matt, who deals with the CSC students and he confirmed my worst nightmare. However, he got me a friend named Ran who kept all her plans and helped me get a train ticket to the correct city and fed me. I had by then not eaten for more than 20 hours and didn't even realise it. With her helping me to the train station and showing me where I have to go and Matt writing down the address in Chinese for me, I managed to get to my university.The journey has been long winding and very very difficult and scary. But I had finally made it.The university is HUGE!! and  very very beautiful. I think we can fit two Male' in the campus alone!!!! :D

However, I keep thinking, if it wasn't for Allah, I might not have made it this far.He saved me, sent me people to take care of me and gave me enough strength to think clearly and deal with an unfathomably difficult situation. I am scared to think of the what ifs and I am so thankful that He gave me this opportunity. The chance to prove that I have it in me to make the best of an intricate environment.  I thank Him for making me who I am.

All I can say is don't freak out and never give up. If you give up then that's the end and you would be enveloped in darkness which will make it even more tricky to get yourself out of a problem. Never think that nothing bad will happen to you because you never know what sort of sticky mess you will have to face!