So I'm back home in Needham, Massachusetts - and it's really nice to be back. I'm not experiencing any of the reverse culture shock I've felt on previous trips; maybe it's just because I know I'm going back, or maybe it's because I haven't really left the house much. I don't know. Either way, I'm taking advantage of my parents' improved living conditions - good water pressure, fully stocked refrigerators, the works - things I don't get often in China.

I'm planning on stocking up on the necessities - mostly food, the kind that I can't find in Beijing. Lipton Soup. Carnation Instant Breakfast. Stuff like that. I didn't bring much home, just some stuff for a friend, really, so I've got plenty of room in my bag, and another whole bag I can bring back, to boot.

One bit of exciting news - I am now the proud owner of a digital camera, a pretty snazzy Lumix from a couple of years back, SLR and everything...I've got to read the manual and learn how to use the thing! But I'm pretty excited - now when I get back to China I can finally start documenting some of these experiences with pictures, which truly are worth a thousand words in the case of China.

So I'll be in Needham until the 30th, at which point I'll be heading back to Beijing to get ready for another semester at UIBE - busier than the last, hopefully. I'm planning on taking six or more courses - piling on the work. I want to get finished and get out into the workforce as quickly as possible. Besides, studying is cheap. Except for all the Pizza Buona I get delivered...