Strange transition

A common question asked of us this summer has been, "How are you doing transitioning back to life in America?"

The truth of the matter is that we have easily eased back into life here.  Familiar neighborhood, same church, many old friends, and nearby family have made our move largely stress-free.  We also do not get some of the adjustment issues faced by some who return to America from destitute areas - our day-to-day interactions were with a very materialistic Chinese middle class.  Walking into an American grocery store, or into a mall does not cause us to freak out, because on certain levels it is not that different from what we experienced in China.

One strange thing, however, is the adjustment to light.  Daylight, in particular.

In China, I did not own sunglasses until I had already lived there for 6 months.  I actually bought some because we were traveling out of the country.  The cloud cover simply made it unnescessary.

But since moving back to Chicago, my sunglasses have hardly left my side.  Situations where I would not have given sunglasses a second thought a few years back, I now find myself squinting without them.  I think my eyes have not yet adjusted to life in a land of sun.

-alan