In our time back to China thus far, we actually haven't had too many of those funny/absurd cross-cultural moments that seemed to pelt us continuously our first year. We've been leading a fairly cloistered life. While I confess I've occasionally been tempted to whine of boredom, I know I'll look back on this time with nostalgia since we've had ample opportunity to pray, reflect, rest, and read.
Today I'll focus on the reading. We've had to make major adjustments to our reading habits since moving to China. At least in Hangzhou, English language reading material (that is of any decent quality) is incredibly difficult to find. We know of one bookstore that sells Harry Potter, Agatha Christie, and some of the classics (Gone with the Wind helped me get through the misery of Chinese New Year), but other than that, we have to supply our own literary escapes.
We've found two ways to feed our bookish hunger. Firstly, we can bring our favorite tomes from home. Understandably, I loved being reacquainted with my personal library when we were back in the US. This summer I finally read books that I've had for years and have never had a chance to touch. That book I bought on a whim when I lived in DC seemed so much more valuable this summer after 11 months apart.
It was exhilarating (yes, I know I'm a nerd) to have such easy access to novels, textbooks, commentaries, and professional development resources. Both times while packing to journey to China, Brian and I spent much time deciding which books would be most worth their weight (which of course is limited) to bring back. Understandably, we have been very intentional and picky regarding which ones we have schlepped with us to the Middle Kingdom.
In addition to the limited option of lugging books across the Pacific, we have also adored the growing selection of e-books we can find for our e-readers. I doubt e-reader developers had expats* in mind when they created this new genre of gadget, but I can attest to their incredible value in saving our intellectual sanity across the world. Though we can't just pop into a neighborhood bookstore to peruse the latest selection of bestsellers and staff picks, we've enjoyed finding some new reads online (especially in the $4.99 and under category :) that we otherwise never would have known about. Best part is, we can download the book for our immediate viewing pleasure! While I am sometimes slow to adopt to new technologies, the e-reader is one that I especially endorse :).
That's it for now. I actually wrote this post as an "intermission" from a fun mystery book I randomly found on Kobo's web site, and I admit I'm ready to jump back in and see what the protagonist has in store next. Oh, boy! :)
*i.e. Westerners in a foreign country