Surprise Departure

Earlier today, I was turned away at an internet cafe because I didn't have identification, so I went back to my apartment to dig up my passport. While doing so, I figured I'd take a look at my receipt for Thursday's return flight to Tokyo/Minneapolis/New York. Guess what -- I leave on Wednesday! Oops ... suddenly, tomorrow is my last day.

It's been just about four weeks now, but I could have stayed longer. Obviously the 50-cent bubble teas are a huge incentive, but it's being in a new place, working on conversing, seeing different kinds of things, spending time with my newfound cousin, that I wish I could still have when I go back. Of course there'll be tons of new stuff still to see back in the States. I mean, isn't there a Z train in New York or something?

Anyway, the thing I'll miss most is actually being here. You learn a lot from CNN or Thomas Friedman about what PR campaign they're brewing up in Beijing or the growth of the middle class, but you can also learn some just by comparing what you know with what you see. Chinese people are getting richer by the second, but are they themselves ready for their prosperity? You see the pollution and the disorder, and you're not sure. And how come so few people in Shanghai (and in Hong Kong, too) read books on the subways? Mainly I saw PSPs and cellphones. Some MP3 players, too. Not like the amount of reading going on in, say, New York. And is that a bad thing? And why is the McDonald's here so much better than in the U.S.? Seriously, the spicy chicken leg sandwich is to die for. I suppose there are lots of things I wish I had written down that I could mention here, but I have been a slacker.

And because of that, I must go home and pack. Lots of things... a mini mah-jong set, a panda embroidering, a large stash of counterfeit pens, a 7-Eleven umbrella, and lots of expensive tea, among other things.