Key (Cat)astrophe

This is the face of a cat whose days are numbered.

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Not really, because it's not my cat.

I was having a great day.... I rode my bike to the park and then to Emart (sort of like The Greene for my Dayton friends).  I had a delicious cup of coffee and a refreshing bike ride back home.  With my roommates gone for the rest of the week, I was so excited for a warm shower and an early night.  I got home around 9pm and was greeted by my two furry houseguests.  After I walked in I remembered that I needed to swipe our electric card out in the hallway to put units (or however it's measured) of electricity back on our account.  As I stepped out into the hallway to swipe the card...mind you, something that should have taken 3 seconds...the cats tried to escape from the apartment, per usual.  Without thinking, I pushed the door closed to keep them inside.  Normally that wouldn't be a problem, except that our door locks automatically.  So there I stood, electric card in hand, house keys and cell phone inside the apartment.  

I'm not ready to laugh about the events that followed...but maybe some day. 

I have visited about 5 different apartments in our complex since I've been here.  Two people live fairly close to me, so I went to their houses first to see if they 1) had a spare key or 2) knew where to find a spare key.  I went across the street to an apartment where I had dinner this past weekend, so its location was still fresh in my mind.  I knocked about 5 times and didn't get an answer, so I went on to the next apartment.  I knocked several times and again, no answer.  By this point I was feeling a little discouraged, but I thought, "Hey!  I have this card...and China is still a little old-fashioned in many ways...I saw my dad use a credit card to break into things when I was younger...It's worth a shot!"  So I came back to my apartment and tried swiping my electric card in the door.  After that failed miserably, I remembered that our apartment has 2 more doors upstairs, so I went upstairs to try those.  Of course the door at the top of the stairs was locked, so I went out onto the roof.  I was just sitting out on the patio there earlier today, so I thought maybe that door was still unlocked.  I then proceeded to climb OVER the patio railing, which is almost as tall as me, in a maxi dress.  With a sprained wrist, dirty hands, and rusty-metal scrapes, I made it onto the patio.  Of course I was responsible and had secured the door earlier in the day, and all of the windows upstairs have bars on them so I couldn't even climb through them.  Looking around, I realized I was now trapped on the patio and, after several painful attempts, struggled back over the railing onto the roof.  Back down the stairs...back down the elevator...back to square 1. 

Next I made my way across the lake to some girlfriends' apartment.  I knocked for several minutes and didn't even hear a stir inside.  At this point I was convinced that the rapture had happened and I was the only one left in China.  Beginning to panic, I made my way back to the main area of the complex and reassessed.  There were three other people I had visited in our complex, but I had only been to each place once and I wasn't entirely sure where any of them lived.  The tricky thing about our complex is that most buildings have 9ish entrances (gates), so even though I knew one family lived in building 5, I still had no clue where to go.  So I did what any panicked foreigner would do.  I started at the top floor and made my way down, stopping at ever floor.  I went to three gates before I found the right apartment...so that's approximately 30 floors I stopped on looking for help.  By that point I had almost given up hope and decided to sleep in my hallway and wear the same clothes until my roommates come back on Friday.  After knocking again for several minutes with no answer, I was done with the whole situation and I was ready to murder the cats...

I went to the last familiar building where I knew two families live.  Again, I started at the top floor and made my way down.  THANKFULLY there are signs on most of the staff's doors, so after 10 floors I found a door I recognized and knocked several times again before someone answered. SOMEONE ANSWERED! I have never been so relieved.  I felt terrible to bother them (by this point it was at least 10:15), but they were incredibly gracious.  They called around until they found someone with spare keys.  The lady with the keys met us outside and walked back to my apartment with me to let me in.  

I wish the story stopped there.

When we got back to the apartment, I put the key in the hole and tried to turn it.  Nothing happened.  My heart sank.  I looked at her...she looked at me...we both looked at the door.  Somehow I felt like the cats were responsible for this too.  We tried again...still nothing.  I figured that the key must be for the 11th floor, so we went up the stairs to try the other door.  They key went in and turned, but the door wouldn't open.  Apparently if the deadbolt is locked from the inside the door won't even open with a key.  Why is that a good idea?  I have no idea.  We tried and tried but the door obviously wasn't going to open.  So again I went over the railing (good thing I got a tetanus shot before I came) and again the patio door didn't open.  If someone hadn't been with me I would have slept in the patio chair.  I climbed back over the railing and accepted the fact that I would be sleeping in a stranger's apartment and going to school in the same black dress I wore yesterday.  

Back at the kind lady's apartment (which just happens to be on the complete opposite side of our enormous apartment complex), we decided to look through the keys one more time.  And there it was...my apartment key.  

Another 10 minute walk later... 

I prayed the whole way up the elevator.  When we got to the top, I took a deep breath and tried the first key.  Nothing.  I tried the second key and, miracle of miracles, it opened.  I said goodbye to the lady (and her dog who had joined us for the second voyage) and opened the door to find two innocent-looking cats waiting for me.  

So the moral of the story is:
1) Mom, my apartment is VERY secure.
2) I'm NEVER getting a pet cat.