“Thank you, Mrs. Stevens. Sometimes in English… the translation… it takes me awhile,” said Wu, laughing at his own gap between Mandarin and English.
“Wu, what is Wu short for? Wulson? Or, Wilson?” asked Charlie, chuckling to himself.
“Umm, what is Lee short for? Lee-o-nardo? Is your real name Wilson Leonardo?” Sam said, laughing hysterically, due to a lack of understanding of Chinese names. Both little kids broke out laughing.
“That’s his real name, kids. People all around the world have different names, and Wu’s parents named him Wu. Like you’re Sam, and your brother is Charlie,” explained Marion. “Lee is his last name, after his father.”
“Maybe one day, my new American name can be Wilson Leonardo!” Wu announced, making everyone laugh.
Mr. Stevens beamed with great pride that the white water rafting trip was all planned out, coordinated, and researched. The detailed and comprehensive engineer in him also extended to his personal life. Maps, weather, travel directions and food, Chad Stevens had it covered, and was always in for a teaching moment for his kids. The message was to always be prepared.
“Well, we’re about ten minutes out from the Qingshiling Village. It’s just outside the White River Bay. Almost there,” announced Mr. Stevens.
The White River Bay area had a resort, and was a great destination for taking the family outdoors for the remainder of the weekend. It was well known as one of China’s best rafting destinations, and loved by westerners visiting Beijing. It was only about 95 kilometers, or 60 miles, from their house and an easy van drive away.
“Tremendous. We’re out of the pollution for once!” Marion commented, being fed up with the city’s rising population and industry smog levels. Recently, Beijing officials ordered hundreds of corporate factories to shut and allowed school children to skip school as unbelievable choking smog overcame the city. The U.S. Embassy in Beijing recorded over 25 times the safe levels, which was extremely unsafe for breathing, both short and long-term.
Wu translated the distance announcement pretty easily and understood what was going on, but wasn’t celebrating in his mind, though. Oh, shit. Water already? he said silently to himself.
The White River had beautiful mountains on both sides of the river, a variety of plants in the forests and hillsides, and best of all, clear water to paddle in. With two people in a raft at a time, it was gearing up to be a fantastic weekend.
“Ahh… I don’t know how to swim,” said Wu, finally admitting it publically out loud, and hoping it was not going to be an issue. “I have never been on a river.”
“It’s ok, Wu, we can get you a life jacket to wear,” said Ford, thinking of his last time white water rafting on the Snake River in Wyoming two years ago. “We will all wear one. You wear it around your neck. I’ll show you.”
While everyone enjoyed the ride and listed to the football game on the radio, Wu was still quietly thinking of the river. The trip came down to one major concern of Wu’s, in that he was very afraid of the water. Wu was excited for the trip today, but since his mother never took him to a pool or gave him swim lessons, there was always a strong fear of the water and being stuck under, not able to breathe. Last year, his mother took him to his father’s grave near the YongDing River, and he was able to stick his feet in the water for the first time ever. Other than that visit, he had no other exposure to water.
Ford could tell his friend was somewhat excited at the idea of attending today, but something else was amiss. Ford didn’t let on he knew, but could feel Wu’s apprehension. As for Wu, the butterflies grew in his stomach.
“Cowboys just scored!” yelled Charlie, listening intensity. A cheer of applause was heard around the van.
Wu half-smiled at the events of the football game, but knew once they got on to the water, he was going to feel even worse. His clammy palms were near wet, had a full-case of cotton mouth, was sweating, and they weren’t even at the Bay yet. Don’t they know what it’s like for me? This is crazy. What I am doing? I’m not going. No way. Wu’s anxiety about rafting was at a peak, and he was downright petrified.
The rafting company was well established and had the rental of rafts and oars down to a science. There was an area for customers to wait in line and pay fees, another area that resembled a gift shop to purchase sun block, tee shirts and hats, and another area to obtain photographs of a customer’s day-trip on the river.
On a far wall inside the office was a large combined topographical and picture map of the White River. It displayed the rafting route with a distance scale, from start to end, with appropriate nature areas and recommended stops to take photographs. There were sample photos from guests through the months and years on display, like something out of a marketing campaign. Happy customers all around, it seemed.
Wu and Ford walked behind Mr. Stevens inside the office while he arranged for the boat rental and guide information. The boys walked over to the map.
“Check this out,” Ford gestured with his hand. “Our route today.”
One item that the boys noticed on the map was the waterfall, about 75 minutes into the river trip. Both boys pointed at it on the map, and took note and interest in stopping there to take a photograph.
Something else on the wall caught Wu’s eye, though. On the bottom right side of the wall map was a Warning Notice in large, red letters. It announced the rapid speed of the water, along with natural whirlpools, that would be an issue for all rafters if you were not paying attention. The whirlpools, rotating water due to the curvature of the river, speed of the water, and unpredictable currents, could easily overturn a raft if not navigated correctly. The Warning Notice went on to ensure all rafters wore life jackets, and to take precautions for a safe ride by following the marked signs.
“Boys, let’s get going. We’re all paid up and ready. Our river guide is ready to brief us on the day,” said Mr. Stevens.
Wu was looking at some of the gifts on display, and glancing at the pretty teenage girls across the office. The Doors’ song ‘L. A. Woman’ was playing in the lobby of the rental company, an iconic rock band and song, and 70’s rock music was yet another thing that Wu loved about America. It was also his favorite song.
“Let’s go Prince Charming” Ford said to Wu, and they walked out the back door of the shop to the river front where the rest of the group was forming.
Marion took Charlie into her raft, which was partly out of the water and sitting on the gravel rocks, while Mr. Stevens took care of Sam. They brought with them a water proof bag with some sweatshirts, along with some bottles of water, snacks, first aid kit, and a disposable film camera. Of course, Sam had to go to the bathroom at the last minute, but it didn’t delay their start.
Their guide, Xi Wong, addressed the crowd in English because the raft guests for the day were from Germany and the U.S., and everyone found that to be a common language. Between the Stevens’ rafts, and the other three from Berlin, there were six rafts in their party.
Xi Wong, a graduate student from Peking University, explained the operation of the orange and blue rubber rafts, plastic and wooden oars, raft safety, and their itinerary for the day. He spoke of the wildlife they might see, the water currents, helmet, lifejacket use and how to wear them properly, and the timeline if they wanted to take photos along the way. It only took about 15 minutes for the brief.
Wu and Ford listened, but were horsing around in looking at the blond-haired girl from earlier in the gift shop. Smacking oars and laughing, they paid more attention to the unique German accent of a pretty 15 year-old, as she and her family were in their raft party.