This American Life.

It's almost unsettling how easy it has been to slip into my old routine here. People talk about reverse culture shock, but I haven't really experienced it in a dramatic sense: it's more that I view things with a different lens now that I'm back. For instance, I really appreciate the ubiquity of the Western toilet, while at the same time I am kind of shocked at how utterly filthy the New York City subway system is. I guess in Asia, the metro systems are so new that they're clean and well-managed and efficient. Also, as Kai said when I saw him the other night (!): in China they can pay people ten cents an hour to sweep to and fro all day long.

Anyway, despite not feeling a sharp sense of culture shock, I have been enjoying some things that one can't get in China:

1. EAVESDROPPING ON OTHER PEOPLE'S CONVERSATIONS
I always hoped my Chinese would get to the point where I could do this, but sadly it never did. The best I would ever get would be something like, "You ... me ... family ... a lot of money ... good ... bad ... right?" But now that I'm back in an English-speaking country, I get to walk around the city and listen to teenagers whining to their parents and couples breaking up and sketchy business going down over cell phones.

2. FOOD
My parents are great cooks and our fridge is full of delicious leftovers (unlike our Dalian apartment, which usually contained only eggs, ginger, flat soda, and beer). Also, I had hot dogs and home-brewed beer at Ari's PiA barbecue, and tomorrow I'm going to have sushi. Joy!


3. WASP-Y NEW ENGLAND BEACH TOWNS
My mom and I took a road trip to Madison, Connecticut. The beaches were full of sand (not rocks) and the town was full of independent bookstores and adorable ice cream parlors.


4. GAY HIPSTER DISCO PARTIES
Maybe you could find one in Beijing, if you knew where to look, but Brooklyn is a safer bet. Thank you to Gayle for humoring me in all the ridiculous things I'm hell-bent on doing out of fascination with subcultures I'll never be able to participate in.