April did not ease me in.
April threw me outside, soaked me with water, flew me to China, spun me around, and said:
“Figure it out.”
Songkran → Joy I Didn’t Plan For
Nobody prepared me for Songkran properly.
This is not “a festival.”
This is a full country reset disguised as a water fight.
You step outside and immediately lose control of your day.
Water coming from every direction. Buckets. Hoses. Water guns. Ice water — which I still believe is personal.
But here’s the thing…
You cannot participate in Songkran and try to stay composed at the same time.
You have to let go.
And for someone like me, always structured, always thinking — that was uncomfortable at first.
Then it became freedom.
Running through the streets, soaked, laughing, dodging water and failing… it felt like being a child again.
Unplanned joy.
China: Immediate Shift
China hit me fast.
The robots? Yes.
The efficiency? Yes.
But what stayed with me more was the human side of the experience.
Being Me, In This Body, In China
The stares? Expected.
The touching? Not so much.
People would reach out — touch my arm, my back, my waist.
Not aggressive. Not threatening.
But… unfamiliar.
It’s one thing to be seen.
It’s another thing to be physically interacted with out of curiosity.
And you’re standing there like:
“I understand… but also… what is happening right now?”
It forces you to be aware of yourself in a very different way.
The Great Wall → Beauty, Fear, and… Confusion
Let’s talk about the Great Wall.
First — the wall itself?
Incredible.
Massive. Endless. One of those things that reminds you how small you are in the best way.
You’re walking on something built centuries ago, stretching further than your eyes can follow.
And then… the activities.
I took the cable car up.
And listen — I don’t like heights like that.
You’re just suspended, moving slowly up the mountain, and your brain is like:
“Why are we doing this?”
But I did it.
Then came the ride down.
You can either walk… or take the slide.
Guess which one I chose.
The slide.
A full ride down the mountain.
At first I was stiff. Holding on. Overthinking it.
Then somewhere along the way I relaxed… and actually enjoyed it.
And then the bike ride down.
Same thing.
Fear → hesitation → doing it anyway → fun.
And that’s what stood out.
Not that I wasn’t afraid.
But that I did it anyway.
The Great Wall… and the Touching Situation
Now… the other part.
The day I went, it was a holiday.
A local explained that many people from rural areas were visiting.
And let me tell you…
The touching increased.
Significantly.
People brushing past. Lingering hands. Unnecessary contact.
At one point I had to laugh because honestly…
“What exactly is going on here??”
It was one of those moments where you’re managing the situation in real time.
Half amused. Half uncomfortable.
And I said to myself:
“Well… this is probably the most action I’ve gotten in a while and I didn’t even ask for it.”
It was funny… but also not funny.
Just one of those very specific, very real experiences you can’t really prepare for.
Canton Fair → Why I Actually Came
I came for the Canton Fair.
And immediately humbled myself by going without my passport.
Turned around. Went back. Lesson learned.
When I got in?
That place is overwhelming.
Massive. Hot. Endless.
Machines, systems, ideas — things I didn’t even know existed.
And it reminded me of something important:
You cannot run a business from a distance forever.
At some point, you have to show up.
Meeting My Suppliers → The Real Value
Meeting my suppliers changed everything.
These are the people who help me run my business — and until you see them in their environment, you don’t fully understand the relationship.
One took me on a bike ride through the city.
Another?
- gave me factory tours
- paid for my hotel
- convinced me to go to Beijing
- paid for that too
And I went.
Because that’s what this trip became about:
Not just products.
Not just transactions.
But relationships.
You realize quickly:
Business is not just what you sell.
It’s who stands behind it.
The Arcade → Temporary Motherhood
I went to an arcade.
Mind my business.
And this child decided:
“Yes. This is my person.”
Attached himself to me.
We played games together. He shared his prizes. Pushed my trolley like a proper little man.
I didn’t question it.
I accepted my temporary son.
And honestly? It was one of the purest moments of the trip.
No language barrier. No agenda.
Just play.
Gaming Café → Unexpected Comfort
I ended up in a gaming café.
And this one surprised me.
They brought me:
- fruits
- snacks
- drinks
And we just… existed in that space.
They were practicing their English.
I was just there, playing, talking, laughing.
It wasn’t planned.
It wasn’t productive in the traditional sense.
But it felt… easy.
And those moments matter more than people admit.
Squat Toilets → Character Development
Let’s talk about squat toilets.
Because nobody prepares you.
First encounter, I stood there like:
“This is a test.”
But you adapt.
You have no choice.
And after a while?
You get good at it.
Balance improves. Confidence improves.
You start entering bathrooms like:
“I got this.”
Growth.
The 24-Hour Spa → Better Than Any Hotel
Now THIS.
This might have been one of the best experiences of the entire trip.
A 24-hour spa.
And let me be clear:
This is better than most hotels.
You walk in, they take your bags, give you clothes, and from there…
You choose your experience.
Pools. Saunas. Hot rooms. Salt rooms. Food. Drinks. Massage areas. Quiet zones.
I got:
- two massages
- a full body scrub
And let me tell you something…
That scrub?
They cleaned parts of me I forgot existed.
Cracks. Crevices. Everything.
I came out of there feeling like a brand new woman.
Reset.
The Honest Part
It wasn’t all smooth.
I missed the last day of the fair.
Didn’t verify.
Sales have been low.
That’s sitting in the back of my mind.
I came with a structured plan.
And somewhere along the way, I threw it out.
Because it didn’t fit what I was experiencing.
And that’s uncomfortable.
Where I Landed
April wasn’t organized.
It wasn’t controlled.
It was:
water fights, fear, laughter, strangers touching me, suppliers becoming friends, random children, squat toilets, arcade moments, gaming cafés, spa resets, missed plans.
And somehow…
That mess felt necessary.
Because for once, I wasn’t trying to control everything.
I was just… in it.
And that might be the real growth.
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