Returning to China after a three-week break is a bittersweet occasion.
While I’m eager to see my students, colleagues and friends again in Zhengzhou, it’s hard to leave Pat, Koji and Solo behind in New Jersey, knowing I won’t see them again for another five months. Koji never left my side the past three weeks, as if he sensed I wouldn’t be staying long. Pat and I also spent a lot of time together, though she didn’t lick my face nearly as much as Koji.
The transition should be a lot easier than it was last August when I moved to Zhengzhou. When I first arrived, I didn’t know a single person in China, couldn’t speak more than a few words of Chinese and had to stay in a hotel for several weeks while my apartment was being renovated.
This time, it should truly feel like a home away from home — except for my revolting bathroom. When I left, my shower nozzle and toilet handle were broken. They should be fixed by the time I return, though I’m not banking on it.
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I’m planning to do more traveling around China this semester, taking advantage of an improved teaching schedule that should give me a lot of three-day weekends. One of my first destinations will be Macau, which has replaced Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world.
I rarely go to casinos these days, even though I used to be a degenerate gambler and our home is only two hours from Atlantic City. Still, I’m curious to see what’s happened to Macau, which was a sleepy Portuguese colony the last time I visited in 1988.
I’m writing this at the Toronto airport as I wait to board my 13-hour flight to Beijing. I flew out of Newark just before the East Coast got hit by another big snowstorm. I hope my luck continues when I’m rolling dice at the craps tables in Macau.
