What We Wont Miss

This week has been rather eventful, and still I can't think of anything to write about.

Maybe it's the stress of getting the Red Lions ready for Graduation, and my eminent departure.

Or the stress of finding out that the University of Houston failed to warn Super Husband that if he didn't register for courses for four "terms", or one year, he would be automatically un-enrolled, despite the fact that the scholarship he's on was awarded through the University itself.

But this week seems a blur.

Super Husband and I did make another dent in our list of things to take home. Two tea sets have been acquired, now we just need to acquire the tea. Shoes, purses, and wallets have also been added to the take home collection.

The only things left on my personal list are pearls, jade, and a qipao.

We have plans to take care of all three this weekend, so we'll be all set, and can devote our last weeks in Beijing to enjoying ourselves, and not frantically searching for those last items to take home.

We're leaving a few things behind. Well, more than a few. There are some things that are too big, and others that are too heavy for the temperate climes of Houston. Some shoes that were worn out, and a few cardigans that are way past their prime.

All in all we're ready to be back home. The closer it gets the farther it feels, somehow.

Why is that?

Somehow saying "it's just a month and a half" sounded so much better than "in three weeks we'll be home". But that's it, just three weeks and we'll be flying over the pacific.

So, in honor of the theme that's been growing here, here's a list of things I won't miss about Beijing (Super Husband's list is different, so he can update y'all on that, if he decides to):

n  Packing, like a sardine, into two forms of public transit, at least twice daily for my commute. – I’ve taken pictures of the lovely sardine cans that pass as subway cars at rush hour here, but it doesn’t do it justice. There’s a smell, especially now that it’s summer, of people being pressed together in a way that would normally require some sort of relationship, or at least a knowledge of the other persons’ name, or accent, or something. And old sausage. I don’t know why, but line 13 smells like old sausage.

n  Human Feces in the Street – Yup, this is a thing. A thing I’ll never miss. Stepped in dog poop? Are you sure it’s dog? No! You’re not. You can’t be. Because grown people pop a squat, pull down their pants, and poop in the street.

n  Vomit. – Honestly, I never thought I'd write something like that, but there is an obscene amount of vomit just... Everywhere here. I'm pretty sure I can count the number of times I haven't made it to some sort of receptacle on one hand. And I'm including the two inebriated debacles in this list. People here just vomit in the street and on the sidewalk with absolutely no regard to the fact that people will be walking there in the immediate future. And it's not just "oh, I saw this one guy vom on the sidewalk one day"... It's ALL THE FLIPPING TIME. It's gross.

n  Not having toilet paper in the individual stalls. – Here, in most places, the toilet paper is outside the stalls, and you get yours before you go into the stall. This is annoying, and weird, and I don't like it.

n  Pollution – maybe I should put this at the top of the list... No, vomit definitely trumps it. I thought I came from a polluted place, and that Jakarta was polluted, but it's nothing like Beijing. Beijing takes the cake. And then makes it dark, disgusting grey with coal smoke, exhaust, and whatever else we breathe in on a daily basis.

n  Lack of A/C – This may make us sound a little spoiled, but it’s hot here right now, and it would be nice to sit down at a restaurant and not continue to sweat. Or get on the subway and not have it feel like you’re going to run out of oxygen before you get to the next stop. Super Husband is lucky because the school he’s teaching at right now keeps their classroom at 23c, but because the nurse at AH is … (stupid is the nicest word I can think of) I’m not allowed to use my air conditioner anymore.

That about sums it up. I’m sure there are more things that I wont miss, but these are the big six.

Super Husband says that these are too negative, but rest assured, this list will be followed closely (in the next three days) by a list of things we will definitely miss. Yunan food is among them.