Homesick

With the passing of Grandpa A, a wave of homesickness came over me last weekend and it's still lingering.

Fortunately, we met another family recently with a young daughter Dean's age (they are only 2 days apart), and they invited us to dinner at their place last Sunday evening. They are not only from the U.S., but from near the Atlanta area. Sometimes it is amazing how small the world is.

We indulged in a wonderful meal of lasagna cooked from scratch. This was a real treat, especially since it was covered in cheese. We don't have an oven in our apartment, so we can't bake things like this at our place unless we make a small portion that can cook in a toaster oven.

Dean enjoyed playing with all of the new toys belonging to Claire, while we had a great time talking with her parents. They've lived in Shenzhen for just over 2 and a half yrs, so they have much more experience than we do. We talked about the things we miss from home, especially doing things outside. We all laughed about how our Chinese friends talk about climbing a mountain. I would describe the "mountains" here as small hills with paved pathways. No need for a walking stick or even a pair of tennis shoes.

Our new friends made a comment about how they find themselves telling friends back home so many of the negative things about China because a lot of those things are the most interesting. I had to wonder if we will end up doing the same thing?

I find it's very easy to criticize the things that are different here, but I try to remember that different is not necessarily bad or wrong. Some days the differences are just too much, and I long to be back in the U.S., where I know what to expect and I can understand what the people around me are saying 99.9% of the time. I've come to realize that we're not going to learn and absorb Mandarin Chinese just by being here. If I want to be able to communicate with the people I encounter every day, from a cabbie to the grocery store clerk, I need to start studying.

I guess the newness of living in Shenzhen has just plain worn off.

Always an optimist, I have to close by mentioning I am not entirely unhappy here, and I have confidence that this homesickness won't last. I just hope it passes sooner rather than later.