This is my first time “home” for Christmas since moving to China. In many ways, it feels so normal. It is normal to eat dinner with my family and play games with them. At the same time so many things have changed. My sisters, who were 12 and 18 when I moved to China are 17 and 22, have grown up and changed so much. My brother was not home for Christmas. Friends around me have gotten married, had babies, and moved away. And I’ve changed. It's hard to put into words all the ways that I have changed, but there are a few concrete ways that I can identify.
1)
I don’t want to wear shoes in the house. Growing
up, unless our shoes were muddy we would wear shoes in the house. However, now
when I walk in the door, I take my shoes off and put on slippers just like I
would do if I were “home.”
2)
The US is so cold! Or China is so hot! I don’t
know which one. In China, even in the winter, I hardly ever wear sweaters and
sweatshirts. It is not that China (at least where I live in China) is actually
warmer, but the heat is so warm, and I have basically no control over the heat.
In the US, we have a great deal of control over the heat; it is expensive, so
we keep the house at a cooler temperature. Also, I imagine a house that over 50
years old is harder to keep warm than an apartment that is less than a decade
old.
Now I remember why I used to constantly
drink tea, and I don’t feel such a need now. I mean I do enjoy a cup of tea
every once in a while, but it is more out of comfort than necessity (this is a
slight exaggeration; it’s not THAT cold).
3)
On the topic of cold, I don’t know why Americans
drink ice water in the middle of winter. I mean during the summer, I, like a
good red, white, and blue-blooded American, drink ice water even in China. But
if it is winter and I am cold, I do not want to drink ice water. I do not even
want to drink the water without ice. It’s too cold!
4)
On a similar note, it is a bit weird to drink
water from the tap though we have good tasting tap water.
5)
I keep using tissues instead of napkins. In
China, you can buy napkins, but they are not as readily available as tissues.
We generally only use napkins when we have guests. On normal days we just use
tissues. Also the fact that I say tissues instead of Kleenex is also something
that has changed. I guess tissues is just more universal.
6)
Americans eat so much dairy! I don’t know if it
is just because I don’t eat that much dairy in China and so I am eating it
more, but I have been eating so many dairy products. In China, you can get
dairy products, and I eat yoghurt every morning for breakfast, but things like
sour cream are a special treat. I can pretty much get most dairy products I
want, but they are expensive. Therefore, dairy becomes a special treat, which
is probably healthier anyways. My stomach is not used to all this dairy.
7)
On the topic of food, I don’t know if it is the
richness of American food or what, but my appetite has diminished
significantly. I don’t feel like my diet in China is all that different. I also
feel like I eat a fair amount. However, for whatever reason I can’t eat the
portions that my family eats.
I am sure there are more things that I could come up with,
but this is what I have so far. The thing is this whole concept of home. A wise
person told me before I moved to China that living in China made her realize
that this earth is not her home. I have clung to this truth the past few years.
I may change and do silly things like drink hot water and use tissues instead
of napkins, but that doesn't really change who I am. As the Father has been
reminding me time and time again. I am a child of the one true king and this
earth is not my home.
