Saying Goodbye to China!

Aging has not changed me that much.  I have always loved to come home after a vacation.  My own bed, bathroom, soap and night lite give me comfort after living away.  For me it has always been so.  But this time away was different somehow.  For the first time in this lifetime of travel I have seen beneath the surface and it has left me grateful for what I have.

We returned to Tucson last night around midnight after 17 hours between Shanghai and Arizona.  Seventeen hours is not that long but time really has no meaning when we are talking about two cultures born of different history.  I have a hard time making my mind jump the gap.

I love China and all it has to offer.  I love the juxtaposition of old with the new.  They are in so many ways ahead of the United States and centuries behind at the same time.  The lack of freedom to communicate with the outside world for most Chinese is screaming to be remedied while their ability to construct freeways, buildings and in fact whole communities of people is amazing.

The Old

The New

American Roller Skates come to China!

Today I switched on my computer here in Tucson after a month of using a laptop that belongs to my husband and my family's personal computer in their home in China.  I was astounded at the speed that my internet came up on the screen and the selection of websites I could simply click on without a message appearing telling me that the site was not available.  Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and so many more are blocked in China so we were not able to have that instant communication with family that we have become accustomed to.  I am waiting for Four Square to be blocked or it may already be.  The fact that, in our family at least, we have quit using email and instant message or post on Facebook was a problem for me as we traveled.

Henry (in the vest) living the dream!

Business with no Name....Henry's Dream come true!

I had my hair cut yesterday by a young man that has been learning computer skills and English from my daughter-in-law.  I told him that I wanted to bring him home with me because he did such a good job.  The words that came out of his mouth did not surprise me..."I want to come to America" he said, "but visas are very hard to get."  I could only think that he did not realize that he was living the dream.  He had managed to climb up by hard work and seeking knowledge and was now a business owner.  In America when we can be successful on that stage, we are living the dream.  It turns out that dreams are coming true in China too.  Beneath the surface we are not all that much different on many levels.  Now if freedom of speech was not such a threat to the Chinese way of life their world would be almost perfect.

Just a thought.

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