2 months in

Hello All!
Tomorrow will be the two month mark of my departure from America. As sort of an Ode to America I have compiled two lists. One is all the things I can't get in China. The other is a list of classic things that occur in China.

1. Food where I can name the contents
2. American sized clothing
3. English speakers
4. Trees
5. Houses
6. Forks
7. Clean Water; cold water for that matter
8. Fresh Air
9. 81/2 X 11 paper
10.Blue pens

Classic China
1. The side walks aren't so much a safe place to walk as they are an extra highway lane
2. If a Chinese person isn't yelling 外国人! (Foreigner) as you walk down the street, you're not listening close enough
3. The country has a distinct smell that can only be described as "China"
4. It's 3:00am but the sun is probably already up
5. In the same instant you will see a person pulling a cart full of garbage and a Lamborghini racing down the street.
6. Don't blink, or an entire restaurant will be constructed and serving costumers by the time your eye lids reopen. (Wish I was kidding)
7. It's not a real day here unless some small child is using the street as a bathroom
8. The struggle to hail a cab ranges from .5 seconds to 3 hours
9. You can point to the food item of your choice all you want, but what you actually get will always be a mystery.
10. If the Chinese maintenance workers say they will be there to fix it tomorrow, they take midnight very seriously.

Despite all of these things, I can think of 100 reasons why I love this place. Part of the reason is the shear challenge of not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Where else would I have to wonder what I actually ordered for lunch or if the taxi driver is actually going to take me to my destination? Part of my life here is getting the wrong order and finding that its the best food I've ever had or getting lost in the middle of Shanghai and finding my way back. These are experiences I would have never gotten if I stayed in America. My mom and I were just talking today and I was listing all the things I have to look forward to when I get back to the states. She asked if I was going to make it another 60 days. My reply was that I could make it another 60 years. Although America holds a special place in my heart and there will be things and people that I will always miss when I am here, my life in China is filled with adventure and mystery and beauty. I wouldn't give it up for anything. I see it as a beautiful opportunity to see a culture that is in almost all ways opposite of mine. I don't want to change it, I just want to embrace it and learn from it.

Love always,
Maddie