Countdown: 9 days

With only nine days left till I go back to the US, I thought I would list a few things I've come to realize during my stay in China.
I. Things I will not be missing about China
a) Not being able to drink tapwater - It's like being stranded in the ocean with water all around you when you're dying of thirst and not a speck of it is good for drinking. Except that in this case, I haven't even had the chance to step on said offending soon-to-be-sunk boat and am instead, surrounded by working faucets dispensing all rust-scented water I could ever hope to dream of when the water cooler is empty.
b) Traffic - I miss being able to cross the street in an orderly fashion, meaning when the little walking man lights up and the music blares, it's my turn. No, truck driver, not your turn. And don't you dare honk your horn and glare at me like it's my fault. For that matter, I find it incredibly annoying when people have no reason at all to honk at me because I'm out of the way, on the sidewalk, and Still, they have to honk. I keep having this urge to flick people off and yell obscenities except I don't know enough bad Chinese to hold my own in an argument.
c) Being identified and therefore villified for being a foreigner. It isn't so bad if you're American, white and male. They LOVE that here adn for all the worng reasons. However, if you look asian, don't speak very good Chinese (or at least have a detectable accent) then you are a possible victim, whether it be for making a shirt cost triple price or being marked by shady cab drivers as possible rape victims. I thought I was doing okay with being at least generally Chinese, but just three days ago, I was accused of being Japanese, Korean and some odd Chinese-Russian mix. Yeah, as if I would ever pass for Russian.
d) Dumplings - good lord, I don't think I could eat another one of those horrid things ever again. Supposedly hand made is always better, but in this case, it's much worse. The dumplings here are all the dough-like stuff on the outside, with just the teeniest smidgen of meat on the inside. It's like biting into a cabbage flavored mochi. I miss mommy's cooking...
II.Things I will miss about China:
a) Haggling - I love to haggle. LOVE. Especially when I can do it without being too rude. My crowning achievement was haggling two dresses from a total of 200RMB down to 70RMB. That's pretty good, I think. Particularly since the maid told me the shirt she was wearing this morning was 50RMB. I think I enjoy the bargaining aspect much more than the actual acquiring of things. It's so sad to go back to the US where a $70 pair of jeans will always be $70 and therefore forever out of my reach.
b) Air Conditioning - O, ozone depletion, how I delight in thee. You can bet almost none of the air conditioners in this country are environmentally friendly. And yet they make hot and humid weather so much more tolerable.
c) Bizarre Popsicles - here's a treat. What's chocolate on the outside, pudding in the middle and red beans in the center? The popsicle Shelly ate yesterday. The red bean was an unexpected surprise, but she claims it was still quite tasty. Mine was a delightful confection of vanilla and coffee which lasted almost all the way back to the office. O and let's not forget myh favorite, vanilla with raisins! Add a little rum and it's my favorite ice cream flavor. Add a little imagination and teenage boys would by dying to watch. Horrible, no?
III. Things I miss about the States:
a) STEAK - yah, I'm a carnivore. I tried the vegetarian thing once, but it didn't really work out. I'm getting tired of every single piece of meat int eh country being cut into little bite sized pieces or smothered in sauce so that it's no longer distinguishable meat so much as an added bi to ftexturre in an eggplant dish. I miss meat, as in a juicy steak seasoned with only salt and pepper and cooked on a charcoal grill. Yes, I know, my food fantasies are quite vivid. As Marlen once said, "I may be thin on the outside, but on the inside, I'm obese."

I'm sure more things will come to me as the week goes on. But for now, back to work and dreams of steak.