China Blog #17

Heather Madgwick, a friend that came to China to see Michaela get married, has been traveling with us. She asked me: "what life lesson have you learned from your travels in China?" Here was my reply:

You know how when you're a kid and you feel all jingoistic about your country; that America's the best at everything in the world, because that's all you have ever known, you haven't really experienced very many other cultures? Then you get into high school or college and you meet other people from other cultures, and they think the same thing about their culture? And then you get taught in school about multiculturalism and how other cultures are just as relevant as ours?

What I learned from this trip is this: go with your first instincts! America ROCKS! America has toilets! That actually flush! That you can put your toilet paper in! You don't see feces on the street corner and have to assume it is human. America doesn't smell like poop everywhere you go! People in America don't press their zipper of their fly up against your back pocket in line at the Waka Mart (grocery store) even though there is no one pushing against him, thereby necessitating me shoving my elbow in his gut. We have hot water all day long! Our homes are heated! We build our homes and buildings to last at least our lifetime. We take care of our stuff. Our plumbing doesn't flood our homes every week, and mostly, the average employees really do give a darn. You what else rocks about America? You can see the sun! I like that; we don't have smog!  People at home mostly use the trash can; people here just unabashedly throw trash on the ground! And we know how to follow the rule of law!
Anyway, I <3 the USA, can you tell I'm ready to come home?