Homeless in China; or a Night on the Streets

I stood outside on the cold concrete and looked through the glass door of the small, run down hotel. Although i couldn’t tell what they were saying, it didn’t seem promising. After exchanging a few more words, Moon walked back to me, shaking his head.

“I’m sorry. They said You can’t stay here without a Chinese friend. Something about You being foreigner.”

Well darn. It was past midnight and i was fast running out of options. It was starting to look like i might be spending the night on the streets after all.

Today was a Wednesday. It was a day like any other. Except for getting kicked out of my apartment. I suppose that was eventful. I’d been staying there for the past month. It was owned by the school i had worked for up until three days ago when i was told they no longer needed an employee that complained about such trivial things as getting paid and following the contract we’d signed. No, i was too difficult to work with and so now i was getting kicked out.

The superintendent had showed up around 3, a few hours earlier than i had expected, to pick up the key to the apartment and the phone they had provided me. Him being early, i was still in the middle of packing. He tapped his foot impatiently for a bit before deciding that it would take more than 5 minutes until i’d be ready to leave.

"Today, i’m very busy,” he told me, as he turned towards the door. “Just leave key on table. I will pick up later."

I mustered all the warmth i could and thanked him for graciously letting me stay here for as long as he did. He nodded, exited, and i went back to deciding what to bring and what to leave. When You have to carry the entirety of Your belongings, the criteria for what You need and what You don't suddenly becomes a lot stricter. I ditched about a fourth of my belongings, squeezed the rest into my two backpacks, and headed out the door.

Yummy French food.

I’d be playing at Le Loft, a French bar and restaurant, tonight. I’d contacted the owner and booked a gig last week before i knew i’d soon be homeless. After being fired on the spot and told i had only three days to move out, i had texted Pierre, the owner, telling him i couldn’t make it due to my circumstances. Mulling it over though, it struck me that i liked playing music for people and it was foolish to let a bad thing spoil a good one. When i texted him back with my reversed decision, Pierre told me not only to come early and dine with him, his treat, but that i could sleep on his couch if need be. Around 7, carrying everything i owned, i made my way over.

Dinner was some of the fanciest food i’ve ever had; savory roast duck with a rich, creamy soup, all washed down with a lovely dark wine. Pierre and i were joined by two of his friends, an Italian couple, and the four of us passed many hours in pleasant conversation. It wasn’t until nearly 10 that i actually got around to playing. I felt awkward as i picked up my guitar and walked to the corner set up for me. Besides my dining companions and the employees, there was hardly anyone in the building. Additionally, my repertoire of folk songs seemed out of place within such a chic establishment. Still, i got up and sang my heart out. It was brilliant time.

Unlike the situation i was now in.

Pierre had left unnoticed, leaving Moon, the 30-year-old Chinese manager, with money and instructions to find me a hotel to stay in. We wrapped up a bit before midnight then walked 15 minutes to a hotel he said was a decent value. The problem was that they wouldn’t accept me unless i had a Chinese companion with me. We tried a few more with the same results. Now, it was late and i was running out of options. Despite his politeness, i could tell Moon was tired of baby sitting me and wanted to head home to his family and his bed. After another failed attempt, i thought of one last option.

“Tell You what, Moon. If You give me the money Pierre was going to use on getting me a hotel room, i can catch a cab over to Indie Bar and find someone to stay with there.”

Owned by a young Canadian/Chinese couple and frequented by English teachers and foreign university students, Indie Bar is the center of expat social life in Tianjin. Since i had discovered it two weeks ago, i'd made quite a few friends there, many of whom had offered me a place to stay should i ever need it and i figured my current circumstances qualified. It was about 12:30 but things usually didn’t wrap up until 2am or later. It was a gamble but it seemed like my only options.

After giving me the money along with his phone number, Moon went his way. I caught a cab and successfully managed to give the driver the right directions, quite a feat considering how bad my Chinese is even on a good day. After a 10 minute drive, the cabbie pulled up to the alley Indie was down. I thanked him, paid, and stepped into the cold night.Shoot, i thought as i shouldered my massive backpack, this thing weighs a ton. I’m going to need some stricter criteria for what i put in here.

Hands full, i waddled down the alleyway, praying my eyes and ears would catch signs of activity within Indie. But tonight it seems my luck had run dry. As i turned the corner, my hopes went as dark as the empty bar in front of me.

“Damn it!” i swore. Here i was, alone at night. In China. With no place to stay. I’ve been in some tough binds in the past but this might top the list. My mind raced for options. Call a friend? No, i didn’t have a phone. Stay at a hotel? Nope, i'd already tried that. Find some quiet corner to sleep in? Possibly. When i was at my old apartment complex, i’d seen many a nook and cranny that might do. With the skies above threatening rain, the roof wouldn’t do but the stairway might. In the month i stayed there, i hadn’t seen a single person use it for anything but storage (can You say ‘fire hazard’?) 

And there might be one more option. It was a sliver of a chance but just maybe...


I ran back to the road and caught the taxi just as it was pulling away. 

"Xienan Jiao,” i said as i collapsed inside  It was a silent ride with the cabbie stealing the occasion perplexed glances my slumped form. I stared out the window at the lights that passed. Blink. Blink. Blink. Suddenly, i realized the blinking was of that of illuminated floor lights inside of an elevator. Apparently i had paid the taxi and made my way to my old building, although the memory of it alluded me. Then i was standing outside room 1505, my home until today, fingers crossed. Before i booked a room in the stairwell, i would try my one last option. It was a lot to hope for but maybe, just maybe…

Carrying everything i own.

I breathed a prayer, reached out my hand, and tried the doorknob. Unlike that of Le Loft, Indie Bar, and every hotel i’d tried, this door swung open to me, revealing the apartment just as i’d left it. Apparently, the superintendent hadn’t gotten around to picking up the key. I dropped my gear on the couch, stumbled to the bedroom, and collapsed onto my bed. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring or the days and weeks that would follow. I didn’t know where i would stay, what i would do for work, or how i would manage. All i knew was that tonight i had a place to lay my had. As sleep crept over me, it didn’t matter. Not now. 

Tonight, i had a place to lay my head. That was enough.