A Month.

I've been stateside for a month now.  I can't say that I've been home for a month because technically, I'm not home home (which I still miss btw).  I think my reentry has gone fairly well (I even got a therapist to tell me so).  Not too much reverse culture shock.  The most distinctive things that stick out to me were (and how do I be PC about this?) the 'largeness' of Americans and the frequent cussing that you hear in public.  I had forgotten about these.

I also get these moments where I don't know where I am.  Even more disturbed by the fact that I always thought of Texas as just a big blob on the map, and now that I'm living here, I have to connect the dots in the blob.  Still, I'm a far cry from the motherland, and there is a sense of loss that I'm not there anymore.

I've done a lot in this month...not all that I've wanted to do, but a lot.  It's been good to connect with the things that make me me, though I suppose there's always been Him.  Now, will a Texan Sherise emerge?  We shall see.

It's Taking Some Getting Used To.

I really don't like oatmeal. It makes me gag. But I've started eating it to lower my cholesterol. I used to have the same gag reflex with bananas. But since I like convenience fruit, I started to eat them, despite how they would make me gag. And then I continued with the bananas as I started running more.

Oatmeal is going to have to take some getting used to. I had a bowl this morning and even though I added a nice amaretto coffee creamer, I still wanted to gag.

Texas hasn't totally grown on me yet. Someone said to me this week that Californians and Texans are the most prideful about their roots, and at this point I have to agree. California is just the best state.

There is a lot to get used to, including this new 13-in Macbook that shall now be my new faithful companion in my studies here. I'm trying to start running again, too. So I'm needing some time to break in my new Asics GT 2120's. I'm out of practice in taking notes in class again; still feels kind of weird.

Give it some time, I know.

Yee-haw.

This is my first entry from Texas, another new beginning for me.
More later.

I'm Back!

(L) Back in SF!
(C, R) Napa detox with peng you's Anita and Wilma

 
(L) Me, my sis, and the Pacific Ocean...reunited.
(R) Me + my grandma + Cantonese food =)

Let the Countdown Begin!

10 days!

Taters.

The expat dean at my school said something interesting on the brink of his recent return home for furlough.  He described himself as quite the 'small potato' at his home assembly in England.  That took me by surprise because he is really quite the 'big potato' around these parts, not just being a WF, but also for his visibility amongst expats.  I wonder how it really feels for him when he returns home to small potato status.

I wouldn't be surprised that I return not even as a potato, but like as a carrot or something.  I'm glad that I'm not such a big potato anywhere, though there's sometimes that longing to be. 

You'll find me altered when I return.  You too will have changed.  The hope is though, our Likeness will be the same.   

While the Wheels on the Bus Go Round.

I think my recent fatigue is actually kind of funny for those who actually know me for the 'put together' self that I usually present myself as.  Beside the episode detailed in my previous entry, a few days ago I fell asleep only to be suddenly awakened by my head coming into sharp contact with the pole next to me.  It actually made this hollow *ping* sound.    And today as I was drifting I woke myself up with the horrible realization that I had completely forgotten to meet my friends (whom I had arranged to meet after my Ch. class).  Well, I was actually on my way to class, not on the way back...so I actually hadn't even gone to class yet. 迷糊了！

My stomach also has been doing a number, not because of the wheels on the bus that go round but because I've been doing a lot of eating out recently.  How many goodbyes can one make?  Enough, I guess.

Hangin'

AC left last week for the 'other side' so it's just me here in the apartment.  I've lived by myself for short periods of times, so I'm okay with it.  Thing is, I haven't been sleeping well recently.  Whether it's the heat, mosquitos, or the million thoughts in my head, something is keeping me restless at night.  The consequence of all of this is me being tired during the day.  It's a lot harder for me to concentrate in my language class, especially when it comes to reading the 汉字.   And on the hour long bus ride to class...I'm out.  In fact, on one commute my head jerked forward and I was awakened by (my) drool!  How embarrassing. 

Black and White.

As I've gotten older, I've gotten to be more black and white in how I see things.  Here where issues often come in shades of gray I've noticed I'm always pushing for what I think is the more obvious end of the color spectrum.  I think this is a good thing.   I don't think we should operate in grayscale.

I'm talking here about convictions.  What you believe.  I think it's fair enough to say that you have to know what you believe, and know it well.  But you can't be so black and white (hence, stubborn) as to feign to be the standard. 

Recently, there have been issues here where I don't know what I believe.  And I'm still searching for an answer for one.  It's in this seeking that I've found the need to be recalibrated.  Any graphic designer would know about recalibrating.  I watched an instructor recalibrate a projector once and though tedious, there was a stark difference.  The colors came out differently.

How to recalibrate and check for accuracy?  Refer back to the Standard. 

Resorting to Sign Language.

This hasn't happened in awhile for me, and it's not that I'm smug and all, but to say that there will always be something I just don't know how to say.  The time came the other day for me to buy nail polish remover (and no, I'm not any more girly...my ignorance of how to say 'nail polish remover' proves it) and I had no clue how to say it...I couldn't even think of the word 'fingernail.'  So there I was, using sign language and what I could say to describe the thing (and of course, I didn't know the word for fingernail polish either).  Finally the lady was like 洗甲水, and I with an emphatic 'yes!' was grateful that this painful language exchange was over.  Here I was saying words like 'remove' and 'wipe off,' and the word was simply 'wash.'  Yeesh.  See how being girly is extra 麻烦?