与同事聊天，说起来成功出国的烤鸭们现在一定都很幸福兴奋。于是打开了Mary的话匣子。她说出了她身居国外的喜与优。

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In China there are many people who plan to go abroad to study and live. The idea of going to a new country, meeting new people, and immersing yourself in a new culture is exciting, but it can also be scary.

Believe me, I’ve done it. What can also be exciting and scary, though, is when you go back to your home country to visit.

I’ve lived in China for over ten years. One of the first questions I’m asked here is“Have you become used to living in China?” I smile and say yes, then explain that it’s going back to the United States that I’m not used to anymore.

Every time I go back to visit the States, I always have a hard time adjusting, especially the first couple of days. On my last visit, these were some of the small things that took me
some time to adjust to.

• When going to a restaurant, it’s not customary in the States to
  share plates of food. Instead we individually order our meals. I’m
  always disappointed, because in China when I’m with my friends we
  order different dishes and share. This allows us to try various foods
  and tastes. When I have to only order one dish and eat it all by
  myself, I’m disappointed and end up eyeing everyone else’s meals,
  hoping I can sample theirs!
• Hearing people speak English all around me takes some time to get
  used to. In China, I’m used to hearing Chinese all around me and if I want to, I can fade it out. In the States however, I easily end up eaves-dropping on people’s conversations because hearing English all around me is distracting now.
• In the States, pedestrians normally have the right-of-way, which means that when I cross the street at a cross-walk, cars will stop for me to cross. In China however, cars usually have the right-of-way, which means that I have to wait for the cars to pass then cross the street myself. When I’m in the States, I have had drivers get upset with me because they have stopped to allow me to cross, but I forget
  that I have the right-of-way, so I end up stopping as well and neither
  the car nor I move until I remember “oh, I’m supposed to go first!”
  I’m sure many of our readers have similar experiences going back to
  visit their hometowns. I’d love to hear what experiences you may have
  encountered when you’ve gone back home to visit.