A personal journal

Traveler 14

The Captain

July 1, 2026

Fourteen, counted twice

We landed at Baiyun Airport this afternoon and I did my first head count before we even reached baggage claim. Thirteen heads plus mine — fourteen, all present, nobody lost in an airport the size of a small city. I'd like to say I wasn't nervous, but I did the count three more times before the bus.

The volunteers met us with signs and smiles, and for ten whole minutes I let someone else do the herding. On the bus I handed out the crackers I'd carried from home — a captain travels with rations, that's just policy. Watching the others press their faces to the windows as Guangzhou rolled past, my shoulders finally came down from around my ears.

Tonight I knocked on every door and confirmed all fourteen of us were exactly where we should be, then stood by the window for a while. Somewhere out there the Pearl River was glowing, and the tower they call the "little waist" was busy changing colors. Everyone says being captain is a lot of work. It is, and I'm not complaining.

July 10, 2026

The last head count

Packing day. My snack bag, which started this trip heavy enough to count as strength training, is down to two crackers and one candy nobody will claim. This morning I counted suitcases instead of heads — same ritual, very different feeling. Ten days went by like one long bus ride I didn't want to end.

Last night we went to see the tower one more time. I did the count without thinking — thirteen plus me — and for once the number was not the point: nobody was drifting off, nobody needed herding, and the river lights were putting on one last show for us. Our teachers didn't say much either — some moments you don't herd, you just stand inside them.

At Baiyun Airport, before the gate, one final count: thirteen heads plus mine, fourteen, complete. I've spent ten days pretending this job was a burden, so let this journal record the truth — I wouldn't have traded it for anything. Thank you, Guangzhou, for handing back everyone I arrived with, plus a version of me I like a little better.

One last look at the tower before the last head count.

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