I'm tapping my rubby slippers

Momma's coming home.

It feels like I've been gone a long time. It feels like I will have gone around the globe. England and Germany seem like another vacation all together. Even Moscow and St. Petersburg feel really far away from here. I've been busy repacking and have realized just how long I've been gone. I filled three journals. I've taken 1000's of pictures. It feels like it's been a long time since I've had Mexican food and slept in my own bed. I'm certainly not homesick, but I'm ready to re-engage into my real life. The last couple days I've been thinking a lot about my doctor's appointments, haircuts, my thesis and West Egg, family and friends and even work. I guess it's been long enough.

Shanghai is such a great city. I would love to spend more time here, preferrably not dealing with the heat. I've still been ill, which is really annoying because when I do eat, I have not been eating anything authentically Chinese - I'm trying to be nice to my body. It's still not helping though.

But I've wandered through some gorgeous gardens:




Spent hours drinking tea and bargaining ridiculous prices for crap. I've gotten lost in the massive, chaotic, yet serene streets of Shanghai.



But I'm getting on an jet plane tomorrow and heading home. Don't worry mom, I won't forget to drink lots of water and wiggle my toes.

Thanks for reading along. I hope to see some of you very soon.