"There" Becomes "Here"

This is written by someone who also moved to China this month.  I met her at orientation, and her written words are my sentiment exactly, minus the Canadian part.  

By Melanie Gagnon:

There, blue skies abound. And if you're lucky, you'll see a few stars every now and then.

Here, it's either hazy or cloudy, with the occasional blue sky. Though bluer than other places, I'm told!

There, I knew where everything was, and if I didn't, I knew how to find it.

Here, I don't know where anything is, and I don't know where to look.

There, everyone - almost everyone, that is - drives automatic.

Here, standard is ... standard.

There, a few posh apartments and condos have fences and guards keeping people out.

Here, every complex/compund/work environment has a uniformed guard who controls access.

There, I drink straight out of the tap.

Here, I don't dare.

There, I ate with a fork, spoon and knife and knew what I was doing.

Here, chopsticks make me feel incompetent and like a barbarian!

There, every label is English AND French.

Here, I'm lucky if the label has English on it.

There, I knew what areas to stay away from late at night, and I got nervous if I was by myself.

Here, I can go wherever I want whenever I want.

There, honking is reserved mostly for angry moments.

Here, honking is a way of communicating all kinds of things, but mostly, "I'm coming, so get out of my way!!"

There, women bare their midriffs, and then some, to get attention.

Here, guys bare their midriffs, but only to cool off.

There, I would rarely take a cab.

Here, I've taken them more than buses.

There, gyms are indoors and costly.

Here, most gyms are outdoors and free.

There, the rules of the road are strictly enforced and followed - more or less, anyway.

Here, everyone drives wherever they want; even on the sidewalk!

There, no one spits in public.

Here, it fazes no one.

There, eating at home was the norm.

Here, eating out is common.

There, smoking is banned pretty much everywhere.

Here, smoking is allowed wherever.

There, I could handle tough questions like, "there's no barcode on this item. where did you find it?"

Here, "Would you like a bag?" threw me for a loop for a while.

There, a person buys a boxed item without opening it up to see what's inside.

Here, I can be as nosey as I want.

There, water cooler bottles are about 5-10 bucks a pop.

Here, they cost just over a dollar.

There, bumping into Quebeckers is not uncommon.

Here, it's more rare, thus much more exciting.

There, an air conditioner is used in summer, and a furnace in winter. And a window is usually required.

Here, one unit is used for both.  And they drill straight through the brick to the outside.

There, hand-holding has significant meaning.

Here, everyone does it.

There, I was the housekeeper.

Here, I pay one to keep house for me (it's less than 2 CAD an hour!)

There, I blend in.

Here, I stand out.