Living alone

My school and apartment are on the far north end of town. We are pretty far from the city, and it's about a 15-minute walk down the mountain for me to access any public transportation. I see other fluent English speakers on weekends, but on weekdays, its pretty much Chinese people and me, myself and I.
Getting used to living alone has been quite the process so far. If you know me, you know being alone is not one of my strong suits. Today was good, though. Went on a run down on the Yangtze after school and came back to find a group of old people dancing in the parking lot in my compound.  Other nights I would have gotten mad and cursed them for playing music this time of the night and choosing the spot right underneath my balcony for their rehearsal. But tonight the endorphins were pumping and I decided to join them. Turns out there are some pretty cool old folks in my compound-- a sprightly and good humored bunch. When I went back to my apartment after the rehearsal, one of them came by. Smiling and saying something in rapid Mandarin, she handed me a bag of apples and moon cakes. I was so appreciative of her thoughtfulness that I forgot the custom of refusing gifts at first and only accepting after offered a few times!
Either way, tonight left me feeling very optimistic and grateful.