Ok. So here I am back in Newfoundland, due to a family emergency of sorts. I'll be back in China again after about 2 weeks or so. It is nice to be back, even if it is under shitty circumstances. A lot of people often talk about "reverse culture shock" when coming home having stayed in China for a lengthy period of time. For example, many people say that you get used to feeling like the center of attention in China, only to come home and feel like a nobody. Did I experience this? Hell no! I've been too busy eating fries and gravy and ketchup chips... And when I do go out, I make a point to wear my really funky ed and black leather shoes - there ain't no way you can't feel special in those bad boys...

Anyway, here are a few random observations I've made since coming back home:

1) We Newfoundlanders have it rough. I spent about 35 hours straight on planes and in airports. From Dalian to Beijing to Vancouver to Toronto to St. John's. If anyone can top that pain-in-the-ass flight, let me know, and I'll send ya a cookie.

2) Air Canada are a bunch of slut-whores. I have to pay for food and blankets on domestic flights?! What the fuck... They were also an hour late leaving Toronto, as we had to wait for the pilot to show up, as he was late getting in from Ottawa.

3) It's really fun to be able to overhear other people's conversations now that I'm back in English-speaking Canada, as opposed to not really understanding what was being said in China. The downside of this of course is that other people can now overhear me when I talk. I have to be careful, because I've developed a habit of making remarks about people while they're standing two feet in front of me...

4) The air is really fucking nice over here. Though the weather is lousy... In Dalian it was about 25 and sunny, now I got 12 degrees and foggy here in Newfoundland. Here's a short clip of me and my brother driving around in my hometown of St. Shott's (population: fuck all). Ignore the crack in my brother's windshield, and ignore the clinking of bottles. It's pepsi, I swear. Pretty non-eventful video, but you can get an idea of where I grew up. It's a big contrast from Dalian to say the least. Jeff says I'm about as good a camera-man as Muhammed Ali:



5) It's been really fun to drive again. I have to be really careful though. I find I don't notice red lights as much as I should, and I'm using the horn much more than usual. I enjoy not seeing black Audis on the streets, and the Chinese businessmen dressed in black that go with them. But man, am I glad I don't own a car. Gas prices are insane!

6) I noticed that there were about 7 couples on the plane from Beijing to Vancouver who were bringing back adopted Chinese babies. It was nuts. It was almost like a tour was set up for them, and their parting gift was a Chinese infant.

7) I'm also noticing there are way more fat people, and way more "tig ol' bitties" connected to 'em. That said, I myself have been eating a lot more, and if I wore a bra it would probably be a size bigger after my two week stay at home.

8) I don't miss TV at all. I thought I'd enjoy coming home to 50-something channels on tv, having only been able to watch CCTV9 in China. But flippin' though the channels in the past few days, I find that there's nothin' but bullshit on TV anyway. I've come to the conclusion that I almost prefer Chinese propaganda to news about Paul McCarney's divorce or that Kentucky derby horse. It's all equally mind-numbing.

Anyway, enough of that. I'm planning to bring a pretty wacky assortment of stuff back to China when I go. Like a ton of ketchup chips, nachos, and cheeze whiz I think. Maybe some kraft dinner too. I'll check in later and let ya know how it goes....