I thought that when I got off the plane, I would feel drastically changed: like on your birthday, when you think that turning 13 will make you an adult. However, there was no extreme burst of realization, just as there was no immediate increase of maturity on my 13th birthday.
This morning, I woke up in my bed at home, and tonight, I will be going to bed in a hotel room in Shanghai. Should I be worried that my brain has clocked this in as an every-day transition?
The first thing I noticed on arrival at the airport was that everyone is more rushed in China. At the water fountain, I took a long time trying to figure out the Chinese characters on the various buttons. When a line started to build up behind me, a cluster of Chinese women gathered around, pressing buttons at random until one woman found the right button. Then they all shuffled back to their spots in the line, as if their short moment of bonding was insignificant.
We spent our evening in Shanghai exploring the snow frosted city. After a brisk walk, we settled down at a restaurant for hot-pot. Before going to sleep, a few low-hanging fireworks went off, a small preview for the New Year celebration to come.
Maturity comes with time, and so does realization.
Mattie
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