Differences

Every morning, I wake wondering what new adventures we'll have or sights we'll see. A drive to the store or walk to the market or park unveils something new . Most of my posts are light hearted, but I've witnessed things worthy of the Discovery Channel or possibly Nancy Grace. There are so many differences between China and the US that to try and compare or list would take years. My eyes have been opened even wider since Linda has been living with us. Two of the Sulzer wives are Chinese, but they've lived in the US for many years. Linda comes from a small, rural town in Hunan province, which is a fifteen hour bus ride and has never been anywhere except Suzhou and Shanghai (to catch the bus home). Rural, to us, means cows, big farms and wavy fields of grain. Listening to Linda describe her hometown makes me feel kind of uneasy and eternally thankful at the same time for everything I have. She speaks so lovingly of her family and neighbors. The stories of her childhood are heartwrenching, but it's not that it was so horrible (it was), it's because she says it so matter-of-fact, that's-the-way-it-was. So many of the matter-of-fact things are what make me cringe. I cannot write about many of things because, yes, I am being monitored. I've had friends who have had the "police" call them after a lengthy phone call to the US wanting to know the nature of the call. Television shows that have "inappropriate" material will suddenly go blank. My internet periodically will stop working if I'm on for a long time. These things, however, are trivial, in comparison.
To live in a country bound by such constraints seems inconceivable to us. However, to them, this is the way life has been for thousands of years. History is a powerful motivator. Linda often says "It's what my grandparents did" or "I was taught that was the way things should be".
I find myself holding my tongue quite a bit as my sarcastic nature could land me in trouble. I also worry about what will happen to Linda after we leave. Spending a couple of years with the wicked ways of the Americans could have a detrimental effect on her. She tells me everyday how different our lives are. She shakes her head bewildered at the closetful of clothes the girls have. I tell her we are on an "adventure", a new english word to her that she now uses whenever we go anywhere. I asked her if she's ever watched a movie or ate Papa Johns pizza or stayed in a hotel. Her answer everytime has been "First time, I have so many 'first times' with you".