Been back with family in the US for ~30 hours.

Being out of the country for more than a year really highlighted the differences between Nanjing/Beijing and Suburban Milwaukee. There’s some obvious stuff (can flush toilet paper, can drink tap water, fast internet, etc.) but some things were more unexpected:

• Banter: Everyone talks, all the time. The clerks at the grocery store, the TSA at the airport… still not used to strangers talking to me for ’no reason.’ It’s normal in China to wait for something in silence, but that silence needs to be filled with some sort of talk here.
• Saying “Excuse me” and “Sorry”: Whenever you bump into someone or they need to pass, there’s always an “excuse me.” “Sorry” comes up a lot too for minor inconveniences.
• No transportation: When I stayed with my friend in the suburbs of Nanjing, there was a feeling of isolation. But at least there was a nearby bus line that could take me to a subway station. This trip from front door to subway took about 15-30 minutes. Here, it’s a 1 hour walk through slush to get to a bus stop.

This has been my culture my entire life, so it won’t be long until I’m fully used to it again.

Things I’m Liking

• Jerry Seinfled: “The most important word in art is “proportion.” How much? How long is this joke going to be? How many words? How many minutes? And getting that right is what makes it art or what makes it mediocre.”
• Buzzfeed News - Ad Fraud Scheme: Shell companies would purchase apps, and then put certain scripts to copy human interaction with the app, using bots to mimic this interaction on the same app to simulate real human interaction for ad money.
• Milwaukee picked to host 2020 Democratic National Convention

Misc

I got a lot of work to do before I can feel comfortable and earn enough money to live outside my parent’s house. Today is the start of this.