Eight Things That Have Happened Since Leaving America

1. Just like I’ve heard happens with the pain of childbirth, I’d blocked out just how bad the air is here. When I landed in Chongqing, I couldn’t see the ground until we were right on it. It looked like Oklahoma during the Dustbowl. The locals call it ‘fog.’ I can’t figure out if that’s a mistranslation or wishful thinking.

2. But anyway, I’m home! It just feels good to be back in my own apartment, walking these familiar streets, back into my routine of veggie market, fruit market, bus rides to visit friends, crowded sidewalks to navigate, and of course, the really delicious, spicy street food. Yum. I start classes next week.

3. From Beijing to LAX I had the best spot on the airplane that is not first class: last row in the front section of the plane before the exit, aisle seat, right next to the bathroom. Lots of space, no one kicking my seat, and easy access to the bathroom, perfect! (I always request an aisle seat.) On the way from LAX to Beijing, I got stuck clear in the back, next to the window. Ugh. It was the worst. So glad to be off of that plane. What about you, are you a window or aisle person?

4. At LAX, I got racially profiled, in a good way; a TSA agent had a Spanish man talking to her in rapid Spanish (is there any other kind, really?) and she looked over at me and said, “Hey, can you translate for me?” I thought, YES, I still look Spanish! And no, sorry, I can’t. (I probably could have, but I knew she could find someone who definitely could have.) In China, I’m just an American; I miss the rest of my identity.

5. In the gate area for my plane from Beijing to CQ, I was the only foreigner, and this kid started at me for a full three minutes. (And by kid, I mean 18 years old or so.) Ah, I’m back to being a foreigner in Western China. On that plane I was also in the back, but on an empty row next to the bathroom. This girl came back to use the bathroom but it must have been her first time on a plane because she couldn’t figure out how to open the door. I asked her in Chinese, “Did you want the bathroom?” and pushed open the door for her. She was so shocked. I’ll never get over being shocked at how shocked the Chinese are that I can speak (some) of their language. It’s not Vulcan, after all.

6. Last night I managed to stay awake for three hours in a row (jetlag, you win) and went to a restaurant/bar with friends to celebrate our friend Elena’s birthday. The bar had tater tots! So random. We were sooo happy to have tots, though, it was like we won the tot lottery.  This is what I love about China: small things make us so happy. Btw, Elena is from Palermo, Sicily, and was here for 6 months studying Chinese law. She invited me to come visit her in Palermo. Um, YES.

7. I was watching the video for “Empire State of Mind” today and tried to imagine a song called “Shanghai State of Mind.” Nope, can’t picture it. NYC is not as developed as Shanghai, but it’s got a special something these other big cities don’t. (And no, it’s not as developed, but more about that later.) I downloaded the video to show my students, they are going to love it.

8. Every day I was in America, I ate corn tortillas with melted cheese and Frank’s Red Hot Sauce for breakfast. I miss them.