Hi..it has been awhile since I have posted anything on this blog. I am now back in the States living in Watertown, Wisconsin with my family. It is really great to be back for awhile. At the moment, the plan is to be here for a year. I was a bit reluctant at first to return to the US as it meant leaving China and the Cultural Exchange Center but to tell you the truth, I think that I am ready to be back here. I am sad to be far away from friends in China but it is so good to be with my parents again.
Here are a few of my impressions of the US since returning from 4 years in China...
1) People wear shoes in the house. It actually seems dirty to me to walk all over the carpet and floors wearing shoes. In China we remove our shoes as we enter the house and wear only slippers in the house.
2)People buy so much stuff at the grocery store. It was a bit of a shock for me to see people filling up HUGE grocery carts with groceries. People in China thought that I would buy a lot at the grocery store...I have to say though that is pails in comparison to what people buy here.
3) Twitter...what is twitter? I had heard of Twitter in China but I did not know how Twitter has become it's own special language of sorts here. Everyone seems to be on Twitter.
4)Texting...when I left for China four years ago, very few people sent text messages. Now it seems like everyone sends them. I have to admit though that we had been texting in China long before it became common here in the US.
5)Driving = Freedom. I do not like to drive a car but I have to say that after 4 years of not driving one, it feels great to be able to hop in a car and drive to wherever I want to go. I love being able to head off to Walmart without wondering if I am going to be able to catch a taxi or if there will be room on the bus to sit down. I LOVE being able to drive again.
6) Nobody stares at me when I am out and about. In China I am different, I am a foreigner. Here in the states there is nothing special about me. It is nice to be able to do my own thing and not feel like I am being watched.
7) Everyone speaks English. I know you are thinking of course everyone speaks English but I had forgotten what it was like to be able to communicate with others without any problem at all. However, I do miss speaking Chinese and have been on the lookout for Chinese friends.
8) I don't get headaches. For some reason I get many headaches in China. I was back in the states for almost two weeks when I realized I had not had a headache in that time. It is such a blessing!
9) The sky is blue. I LOVE blue skies. I LOVE sunshine. I do not miss the pollution at all!
10) I keep expecting my dog Boaz to come running around the corner. He stayed in China and I really miss him.
2 comments:
It was nice to hear your impressions. It's funny going through culture shock backwards, most people remember it when they go overseas but not as much when they come back. If you wanted people not to wear shoes, you could have come to Canada, most of us take our shoes off indoors. :-) It takes awhile to adjust, it is amazing how much can happen in 4 years, huh? You'll catch on & catch up on twitter and everything else you've missed quickly and be going back to China writing about being shocked that people don't buy much in the grocery stores there. If you get signed up on twitter let me know; would like to stay in touch. take care, enjoy your year back with family & friends
Hey Maria, it's Samantha~ welcome back to state. I am totally felt what you feeling. when I got home, I felt like totally foreigner even though everyone spoke Chinese or Taiwanese. Now I am live in southern california, move to here after graduated from UNL. Would love to talk to you soon. email me more about your life ~in China and home-US.
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