Let me say, this list is far smaller than the things I WILL miss. But there are a few things that have been the most difficult for me to adjust to and/or live with:
1. People blowing loogies out of their nose and onto the street next to my feet. (On the bright side, I have lightening fast snot-avoidance reflexes now.)2. People trying to rip me off because I'm a foreigner and they think I don’t understand.
3. People telling me I am too fat to shop in their store. And even hiding clothes so I can’t buy them. (Yes, that last part really did happen.)
4. Train station waiting rooms!
5. Chinese is hella hard, y’all. Even after a year and a half, I don’t understand nearly as much as if I'd lived in a Spanish speaking country. I won’t miss the language barrier I constantly run up against.
The next '5' list will be the things I am looking forward to most about returning home.
ewwww....loogies at your feet? gads...I wouldn't miss that either.
ReplyDeleteGreat list!
The next time I am totally grossed out by some guy hacking up spit and spitting it on to the sidewalk, I'm going to think about #1 and it won't seem so bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks... and sorry.
Now that you are almost done your volunteer service, are you happy that you spent two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in China?
ReplyDeleteI ask because I have completed my application to teach English in the Central Asian/Eastern European region (hopefully China) and am now just waiting for the Placement Officer to send me an invitation or not. I enjoy reading your blog because it gives me an idea of what I may be facing, but I am a little nervous about the 2 yr commitment.
Hah! I thought only russians blew snot of out their noses like that :-D
ReplyDeleteThe shop thing? so not cool. soon home, soon in comfort!!
Um. Yeah. I wouldn't miss any of that either. I can't stand crowds. I've become more claustrophobic as I've gotten older.
ReplyDelete