Back in Shanghai

I'm back in Shanghai after nearly a month away. I've spent the last couple of days re-acclimating to my life here in China. My trip to the US already seems like a dream - a wonderful dream.

It had been a year & a half since I had left the US, & I was a little nervous about all that reverse culture shock that I kept hearing about. I wondered how things had changed at home - how I had changed since I had been gone.

Turns out things were just as I left them. Sure, some things changed - there was a Lowes where the car dealership used to be, & one of my favorite vegan restaurants had closed down - but nothing was drastically different. It felt as if I had never left - like I had simply imagined the time in between.

Even though I was so happy to see my friends & family again, I didn't feel a sense of longing to return home. It was enough to visit home for a month, to recharge & reset. But in the end, I still feel the wanderlust that drove me to leave it all behind in the first place - which has got me thinking even more now about leaving Shanghai.

Don't get me wrong - Shanghai is a great place to live. I've said it countless times - it's really easy to live here, comfortable. But that's not what I want. I don't want to settle down in Shanghai - or anywhere else for that matter - at least not now. & I feel like I know enough about Shanghai, & it's time to move on. It won't be for at least a few more months, but I've got my sights on yonder shores. I guess I'm not done traveling just yet.