Home and back again (or vice versa)

I realize that it has been a few weeks since I last blogged and I apologize if anyone thought we might have dropped off the face of the earth or something like that.  As many of my readers already know, we went back home to California for a couple weeks.  Actually, it was a bit shy of two weeks.  It was very weird to be back.  I kept thinking I would wake up and be in our cold apartment in China instead of my cozy old bedroom at my parents house.  It's funny the things that I really appreciated about being back.  For one thing, I couldn't eat enough salads.  At almost every chance I got I ate a big green salad.  I also enjoyed the carpet at my parents home.  There is something so warm and comforting about carpet in a bedroom.  But the best part was just spending time doing not much of anything with my family and friends.  A couple of times I got a little irritated that Sam was sporting a slimmer version of himself while I was in search of some bigger sized jeans. (Why oh why am I the only one who goes to China and actually gains weight?)  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  My hands and feet even went back to their normal totally unbloated state.   Sam on the otherhand had stomach problems every night.  I told him it was probably the jet lag but it seemed like every night he was up with heartburn.   It would appear that while my stomach feels best eating "American" food, Sam's has totally embraced Chinese food and was simply refusing to go back to what it once put up with. (Food-wise that is.) 
 
I was a little worried that upon returning to China I would: 1. forget all my chinese and 2. feel uncomfortable and lost like I did when we first came.  I'm happy to report that neither has occurred.  It felt really natural to hear Chinese and see characters everywhere.  And, unlike when we first arrived, we now have an apartment with a comfy bed to sleep in.  I also do not need to ask anyone to help me buy dishes, towels, or groceries. So it was almost like coming home from any other vacation..... Almost.