I arrived back to my apartment after being away for a few days, to a bed being burned in from of my door. A chalk circle had been draw around the perimeter of the bed. A large tarp tent had been erected with many people sitting at several dining room tables outside. Now I had been on and off a bus tour and walking under the sun for the past 48 hours but I didn't think I was delusional.
I have had enough sense to know this was some sort of ritual but I did not know what/how/why it was happening. I just wanted to get pass it and go into my apartment. I also didn't want to be cursed by stepping in on or around the crop circle. While I'm trying to figure out how to possibly scale the walls to my room on the 3rd floor, my roommate messages me "oh yeah 1 of our neighbors died (because I live in a retirement community surrounded by 80 and 90 year old) and their doing the bed burning and memorial ceremony in front of our apartment."
I said "WHAT BED BURNING AND MEMORIAL CEREMONY????!!!" Albeit I do not personally know super old Chinese that have died nor am I familiar with the routine after they die. I asked my roommate HOW DO I GET INTO THE APARTMENT without pissing off the remaining old people? She text "you will have to walk through the chalk circle"...you’ll be fine she says. So I walk though the crowd with the 1 finger church disrupting pose saying 不好意思(bu hao yisi) meaning, pardon my rudeness. I’m still not sure what happened...
Where am I?
Oh its China, thats right.
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