Homecoming

I've now been in the US for a few weeks. It has been oh-so-great! I've loved catching up with friends, family and co-workers. And yes, I came home to not only the Chipotle burrito I was craving so badly, but even a lovely bouquet of flowers from Sean:

I'm a lucky lady indeed! My time here got off to a great start by celebrating the Fourth of July. Columbus is home to a great fireworks show - Red, White & Boom. We headed to a cookout with friends to have a drink (or two) and burger (or two) to party for America. It was also Sara's birthday! Despite the 95+ degree heat, we survived and had a super fun night. We took in the fireworks from Goodale Park:

The celebrations for Sara's birthday continued a few days later, and it made for an awesome way for me to reconnect with lots of girlfriends. Unfortunately, the picture I posted below doesn't include the amazing sombrero the staff made her wear throughout dinner!

I was surprised how many times I ate Asian food while I was home. Is that strange? We tried a great restaurant called Lemongrass in the Short North. Not only did I find my new source of Thai food when I'm back in Ohio, but they even had Singha!

I've found it very hard to answer people's questions about China. Don't get me wrong - I love that people care, and I'm happy to engage in dialogue about my experiences. Actually, talking about it more gets me excited about going back! But it's tough to have a succinct and thoughtful answer to some of what I'm asked. Do I love it? Would I stay longer if given the chance? What am I most enjoying? What's been the biggest cultural adjustment? What's the craziest thing I've seen (and yes, I do actually have to think this through since there have been a few things I could answer with!)? And, my personal favorite/worst nightmare, can you say something in Mandarin? I should feel more comfortable with speaking in Mandarin, but (a) I'm out of practice since I haven't been great about studying lately and (b) I'm not positive that I can create full sentences! The worst, however, is when someone says, "can you say fill in the blank in Mandarin?" ... here's the deal people - likely I have NO idea how to say fill in the blank! But I'll keep chugging and plugging away at my studies when I go back to China so maybe I can properly say something on command when I come home the next time!

I am so blessed that so many people are excited to talk to me about China. Seeing their excitement and interest in what I've got going on makes me appreciate the experience that much more. Sometimes I take for granted how cool it is that I'm temporarily living abroad. I forget that I'm having experiences I didn't even dream of a year ago. I forget how much I'm enjoying learning about a totally new culture and healthcare system. I forget that this assignment is pretty legit. So thank you to all my friends here in Ohio - you reinvigorated me to go back with a sense of excitement and appreciation.

A great part of my time at home was seeing so many work friends at a major conference we host each year. I spent a week of my time in the US at this show in Florida. I enjoyed working side-by-side with my US team again, and seeing lots of friendly faces I hadn't seen since last year's show. Here are a few pics from our event (and yes, we are in an extended-cab golf cart in one):

I'm headed to a send-off dinner with my girlfriends tonight. I can't wait. It does feel odd saying goodbye and realizing I'm going to be gone for a few more months. But it's so comforting knowing what I'm getting into, and in fact, even feeling like I'm going back to a second home. China, lookout - I'll be back in your neck of the woods soon!