Manners and Other Musings

At the beginning of the month, I had the chance to go back to the US for the first time in almost one year. I spent a whirlwind week seeing as many family and friends as possible, spending time at our family’s lake cottage, and stocking up on all the wonderful food I miss back in China.


There were a few observations I had while I was home:

1. The air was so clean! I think the sky was blue every day I was home; unlike the questionable Shanghai gray we have the majority of the time.

2. Everything was so quiet! It was like I was wearing earplugs, even when my dad picked me up at O’Hare. There was no superfluous honking or piercing Shanghainese being thrown around.

3. The grocery stores seemed 50 times larger than I remembered! We shop in grocery stores that are equivalent to Walgreen’s in terms of square footage, so I found it extremely entertaining to just wander down the many aisles of Jewel and Target taking in all the products. The cleanliness of these stores was also impeccable. Our local grocery store has a cat that lives in the grocery store that loves to climb over the food.

4. People seem so friendly and polite! Of course, after living in China for 11 months, I've found the culture leaves a lot to be desired in terms of western manners (note previous blog references to pushing and spitting). I sneezed while in line at the gas station, and the cashier said ‘bless you’. I almost hugged him! There are no customs when it comes to excusing someone when they sneeze, so every time I say 'bless you' to one of my colleagues out of habit, I hear giggles from the peanut gallery. My Shanghainese assistant confessed that the office thought I was a religious zealot as they assumed I was religiously 'blessing' everyone from time to time.

5. Everything was extremely easy. I could read the labels at the grocery store, and when I had a question, I could understand 100% of the answer, as opposed to bits and pieces with my kindergarten level of mandarin. It was wonderful!

After a fun week spent relaxing at our lake cottage, taking a mini road trip with my best friend to Indiana University and her new home at the University of Illinois (we both decided the former is WAY better), hanging out in Flossmoor with family, and trying to eat every type of food I miss and can’t get in China, I was ready to get back to the chaos of Shanghai. Granted, life is a lot easier and more comfortable in the states, but the trip home made me realize I still have lots of adventures (not to mention a pretty cute partner in crime) waiting for me on the other side of the world.