Ever get that "whoa, I'm in China" feeling? Yea me neither.

I'm extremely surprised at how fast the newness of living in Shanghai has worn off. I used to ride in cabs and stare out the window in wide-eyed amazement at the shops, the neon lights, and the myriad of Chinese characters of which I probably understand two. Now I just listen to music and play solitare on my ipod.

Having dinner with a friend from work on Friday night, he asked me if I ever had to remind myself that I live in MFing China. This was an interesting question considering he's lived here for a few years and I've been here only a few months. We both agreed that sometimes you really have to take a step back and remind yourself where you are. It's like walking into a Chinese restaurant. By the end of dinner, you're not still thinking "Whoa, everything here is Chinese!" It just is.

On a completely separate issue, China is far more relaxed than I expected it to be. The best example of this is probably drugs. Before I came to China I was led to believe that there is a zero tolerance policy against pretty much every drug. Now I'm sure if you traffic stuff heavily, you can get busted and go to jail for a long, long time, and even maybe be put to death. On the smaller level though, nobody cares. People smoke weed at social events and do rails in clubs. It almost seems like there's a policy of "don't be fucking stupid about it" and then it's OK. That idea seems to permeate a lot of things here. Prostitution is the same. There is a street - Tongren Rd. - that is known in Shanghai for having ladies of the evening. This is a generally accepted thing. Fake dvds too. They're everywhere and they're insanely cheap. On top of that, they're so pervasive that it's nearly impossible to find non-fake DVDs...not that you would really want to. These fuckers are like a dollar a piece!!!

Anyways, I'm entering the home stretch of my little adventure here. I have about a month to go until I'm back in the US, at which point I'll be living with my parents and desperately trying to get a job. This of course leaves open the possibility that I won't find a thing and end up 42 yrs old, living in my parents' house and referring to myself as "a big kid." This prospect is terrifying, so I expect I'll be feverishly looking for employment. I'd like to take this opportunity to tell everyone that if you do talk to me during this period, I will inevitably begin bitching about my job search and the state of American employment. Be forewarned.