Here is a list, not necessarily in order of importance, of the things that I’m learning or have learned specifically because I’ve been living in China.

1. Make sure to remember and put a title on every blog post before clicking “Publish”. Yeah, maybe I would have learned that anyway, but the fact is, I learned it while living and blogging here in China.
2. Clean-up-as-you-go is not just a good rule for tiny kitchens or playrooms, it’s a pretty good plan for keeping rivers, streets, cities, and countries clean too.
3. Always carry pocket tissue.
4. Stinky tofu is called that for a reason. If you smell it, hold your nose and breath through your pocket tissue.
5. Since the invention of the incandescent light bulb, there have been a handful of other highly significant creations by mankind. These include, but are not limited to: Personal deodorant, Pocket tissue, Seated toilets, The Internet, Cold cereal, Toothbrushes and Dental floss. Plus a bunch of other things which currently slip my mind.
6. It’s a great privilege to be able to worship in the way I please.
7. Schools in the U.S. are better than they realize they are. Standardized test scores don’t show the whole picture.
8. It’s not just kids who bully other kids.
9. There is racism everywhere, the point is to rise above it anyway.
10. Just because someone doesn’t speak your language, does not mean they are uneducated or ignorant. (I knew this, but now I’m living the other side of it.)
11. I like having sheet sets that include a bottom sheet and a top sheet, and regular pillow cases.
12. I really love beef more than pork.
13. I appreciate community-sponsored (and tax-payer funded) paramedic services.
14. I really appreciate The Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution.
15. I love knowing my neighbors. (I knew that before too, but appreciate it more now.)
16. It really pays not to be easily offended.
17. Writing is addictive. I think I’ll keep feeding this addiction though.

winner-winner, chicken dinner 🙂