America Observations

In June, I spent two weeks in the USA for my semi annual detox from China. And while it was wonderful to see family, friends, and eat foods I had been missing (Auntie Anne's Pretzels, I'm talking to you), I was shocked by some of the things I encountered. Perhaps it was reverse culture shock or just my poor memory but I found myself noticing odd things wherever I went. What surprised me the most? Here are five things about America that blew my mind.

1. There are a lot of dead animals

Seriously, what is going on with all the roadkill? I've seen exactly one animal that was hit by a car in the 2.5 years I've been in China. But America, holy hell. I saw three dead deer on the five minute drive to my dentist. And don't even get me started on the amount of roadkill I passed on the 3 hours drive from NY to PA.

(not a dead animal, I saved him from the middle of the road)

2. Being carded is a real thing

I ordered a beer in a restaurant and was shocked, SHOCKED, when the waitress asked to see my license. Officially, the drinking age in China is 18, but I think that's more of a suggestion than a law. I've never seen anyone carded here or anywhere else in Asia. So being asked to provide my license at the age of 30 gave me a pretty good chuckle.

3. English is everywhere

I know, I sound like an idiot for this one, but hear me out. On an average day in Shanghai, I see thousands of signs and hear hundreds of conversations that I simply cannot understand. I've learned to tune out most of it or treat it as background noise. But in America? I can understand everything! I found myself listening to all the conversations around me, simply because I could (Which also led me to interrupt a few random people's conversations. I'm pretty sure that makes me creepy). But at times the massive amount of information coming my way was just too much to process. Plus I really didn't want to hear all about the bowels of two men behind me in line. Sometimes it's nice not to know what people are talking about.

4. Tipping

I have no idea how to do this anymore. How much am I supposed to give? And to who? I gave exact change to a waiter one day and he just stood next to the table waiting for me. After a swift kick from my husband, I shoved some money at him while mumbling something about being out of practice. After that, I tipped everyone. I think the Target cashier was confused when I told her to keep the change.

5. Grocery stores are overwhelming

I walked into Wegmans (do you all know about Wegmans? You haven't lived until you've grocery shopped at Wegmans) and fully freaked out over food choices. I even hugged the cheese display before Matthew reminded me that people were watching. There are 23 million people in Shanghai and we have no where near this amount of variety in our grocery stores. I counted over 100 different brands of cereal at Wegmans before I got tired of counting. How is that even possible? And why? I can find 5 maybe 6 different brands in Shanghai if I'm lucky.

Those are the things that surprised me the most while visiting the States this year. Anyone else find themselves experiencing reversed culture shock when they returned to their home country? Or perhaps try to hug a cheese display? No, only me? Fine then.

5 Things I Miss about America

If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you may have noticed that my pictures haven't been of Shanghai lately. For the past three weeks, I've traded noodles and chopsticks for bagels and beer. That's right, I'm on summer vacation in the good ole U.S. of A.

And while it took me a few days to adjust back to life in the US, I was quickly reminded of why I am proud to call this country home. Sure, it could have been all the fireworks and Independence day fanfare, but I found myself feeling a little more patriotic than usual this visit. So with that feeling of pride still pulsing through my veins, here are five things I miss most about America (other than my family and friends of course).

1. Driving. In Shanghai, it's fairly easy to get around by jumping on the metro, hailing a cab, or calling our driver. (Have I mentioned we have a driver? Before you conjure up images of a white gloved chauffeur opening the door of a town car for me, please know that our driver wears soccer jerseys and drives a minivan.) But I forgot just how convenient it is to have a car. In the US, I can simply walk into the garage and hop in my car (or rather my parents' car since I sold mine) and drive the the short mile to the grocery store instead of walking it. It's an amazing feeling to be able to go where you want, when you want to.

2. The food. Especially the cheesy kind. I made a list of foods I wanted to eat while in the US and have been slowly gnawing away at it. I've also gained an average of .5 lbs per day while here. Whoops. With pizza like this from the legendary Spumoni Gardens in Brooklyn, I doubt my diet will start anytime soon.

3. Magazines. I am well aware I can get digital subscriptions to almost everything I want to read these days. But there is something so satisfying about flipping through the pages of your favorite rag. Or ripping out a recipe to save for later (which I then shove into a drawer and never look at again until I declare the office is a mess and recycle said recipe from that magazine that I just had to have because I might want to make a goat cheese and leek tort the next time I host Easter brunch). And while there is a small selection of very expensive magazines at the international grocery store in Shanghai, I love being able to walk into even a small gas station and know my addiction to celebrity gossip can be instantly satisfied.

4. Restaurant Service. Tipping doesn't exist in China. At first, this seemed like the best thing ever. When my bill came for 20 rmb, I knew that was exactly what I would be spending. But what I failed to realize at the time is that with tipping comes better service. When a waiter gets paid the same amount even if they ignore you and forget to bring you a drink after asking eight times, tipping starts to seem like a better idea. I haven't even had to ask for my bill once, something I've come to expect at every meal in Shanghai.

5. Blue skies. Thanks to the abundance of pollution and Shanghai's proximity to the sea, I've spent the past 18 months with drab grey skies. But every day in the US, I've been greeted with this

and this

and this

I think it's rather clear that I've had a great few weeks in the US. And while I'll obviously miss all of the things I outlined above, I'm ready to return home to Shanghai. Because sometime over the last year and a half, that is what Shanghai has become. My home. So while I may not love the lack of cheese and table service, there are countless other things I do love about Shanghai. But that's a post for another day. For now, I'm happy to spend one last night with my family, breathing in the fresh air, and reading the latest on the royal baby (of all the names, George?!?!).

I'll Be Home For Christmas

Having celebrated a majority of the holidays over the past year in China, Matthew and I are beyond thrilled to be back in the States for Christmas. This blog will be quieter than usual for a few days while we eat our weights in cookies and cheese, laugh with our friends, and catch up with our families. We wish you all a Merry Christmas and we will be back to posting soon.

Apple Pie

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. We jetted back to the US two weeks ago to attend the wedding of our dear friends. Since then, we have been visiting friends and family, as well as partaking in some good ole American fun.

Have no fear, we will be back in Shanghai soon, and up to our usual shenanigans.