The Quiet Life

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It happened when I picked my brother up from the airport tonight. I arrived a little early and decided to use the ladies' room. After I closed the door to the stall, I got the fright of my life. The toilet flushed suddenly, and without warning. I shrieked, dumping the contents of my purse all over the floor when I instinctively threw my hands in the air to cover my head. Apparently, I am still readjusting to those little American luxuries.

In many ways, my life in China was simpler. I didn't own any furniture apart from my digital piano. I bought just enough fresh produce and other food items to make the three meals of the day or, more often than not, headed down the street to the local hole-in-the-wall. The toilets in China are certainly simpler. Most of the toilets I encountered during my cross-country travels were little more than holes in the ground. And that was just fine with me. I grew rather accustomed to the little squatters and now find the western-style toilet unnatural.

Another American habit that perplexes me is the orderly traffic. In China, I often risked my life simply crossing the streets of Beijing. I soon adopted the tactic of walking when the Chinese walked. It worked; I was never struck by a vehicle. As I drive around the calm, quiet roads of my hometown, I am amazed at the persistence of drivers here in obeying (most of) the laws. People drive in clearly defined rows of traffic within their respective lanes. They stop for red and go for green. Turn signals are utilized. The streets are relatively honk-free.

It's kind of boring.

Don't get me wrong; I would never be brave enough to drive myself around China. A lack of bravery, and the inability to successfully navigate a manual transmission up a hill. But there is something so predictable about driving in the United States that I sometimes miss the craziness of traffic in China. My Beijing apartment was at the corner of a busy intersection, so the cacophony of honks, diesel truck engines, construction cranes and rumble of traffic lulled me to sleep each night. The first couple of weeks I was back, I had trouble sleeping because it was too quiet.

Despite my new, quieter environment, I don't regret my decision to move back to the United States. I'm still struck by all the television stations in English and the non-negotiable prices at department stores. I have so enjoyed being in the United States this holiday season. Watching the Macy's Day Parade in New York on Thanksgiving morning was a luxury I will never again take for granted.

Aside from appreciating my "newfound" American-ness, I have secured temporary employment. I have been hired by Brill Publishers, in conjunction with the Chinese Social Sciences Academic Press, to edit another manuscript bound for reference libraries around the world. The manuscript is translated into English from Chinese and it is my task to polish the sometimes unintelligible English into an academic-level English suitable for fine scholars around the globe. I often find myself referring to the original Chinese to understand what is trying to be expressed in English! Despite the long hours and occasional frustration, I am enjoying my work immensely and have been invited to edit another manuscript upon completion of the current one. Although these assignments are just freelance work for the moment, I am grateful to have any work at all in the current economic climate. I am also learning a lot more about China.

I do plan to return to China in the future. However, my return will likely come in the form of a trip, perhaps to visit my aunt and cousin currently residing in Kunming, than a permanent residence. My life is here, in the United States.

At least for now.

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Comments

[liliram]

enjoyed your blog........
i enjoyed reading your blog. made me reconsider many things i usually take for granted. but hey, i do like the quiet life from time to time too!