回到美国的家 back home US

Day before yesterday (10-12-2018) I rose early and bid goodbye to my mother at 6:30. My brother took me to Xiamen airport about one hour away from my hometown Shima. I boarded the plane at 9:30, reached Shenzhun one hour later, then left for Seattle at 12:44 local time. On the same day (12th, due to 16 hours' time difference) at 8, after 12 hours in the Xiamen Air cabin, I arrived at Seattle, and passed through two check-booths, one for immigration, the other for inspection of agricultural goods if any. It took another hour to fly from Seattle to Portland, then another hour to drive from PDX to Salem. So, 24 hours after I bid goodbye to my mom, and two months since I went back to China for a visit, I was back home again in the USA.

I worked hard all yesterday and today to finish writing and printing my annual Christmas letter, and was able to mail them all out this afternoon, with a big relief in my heart.

My homeland visits went very well. I was deeply impressed by the progress and development of hometown and China, and I am deeply indebted to my friends and relatives for keeping me safe and well fed. This web page is intended as both a safe-arrival note and a thank-you letter, with best wishes to everyone for Christmas and New Year.

The photos below were taken at Portland airport, and at Salem home in the first two days after my returning home. The last group of pictures were taken yesterday (12-16-2018) when our family gathered to mark our younger son's 45th birthday. He was 45, two years my junior when I landed here by myself 30 years ago.

Reflection on having being home for one week (12-19-2018):

It's one week today since I came back to my Salem home. Jet-lag is still bothering me, with me feeling sleepy at 8, but waking up at wee hours, then having to nap for two hours. Life here, of course, is much preferred. First, quiet: houses are separated from each other, and each house is insulated against the elements. (In my hometown, you could hear your neighbor loud and clear.) Walking in the neighborhood is a joy, as there are very few cars or pedestrians. On the streets, the roads are not crowded, and drivers do not horn as a habit or out of necessity. Second, feeling warm: outside temperatures are much lower than at hometown, but with heating inside, you do not feel cold. Then, there is the wonderful hot bath. Third, convenience: Internet speed is much faster than in my hometown, and there is no censorship. You do no need a VPN, and download or upload is a snap. Having been away for two months, my prescription drugs are running out. KP (Kaiser Permanente), my insurance, called me to check, then shipped my medications right away.

However, being at a high latitude (45 degrees north), sunlight is much shorter than in my hometown. Sunrise is at about 8 (5:30 in my hometown) and sunset is about 4:30 (7 in my hometown). Besides, we are in for the rainy season and it rains almost everyday. Fortunately, I was able to do my 40 minutes' walk everyday too, because there is always a daily repose.

One more good thing is that my glucose fell rapidly after I came back. While it was around 150 when in my hometown, now in four days, the reading fell to below 120, despite the fact that I continued to have a little of hometown specialty candy every day. The reason, I believe, can be attributed to my daily walk, and to my resuming Metformin prescription.

前天（中国12日）上午6:30跟妈妈告别，由弟弟送我到厦门高崎机场。 9:30起飞，一个小时后到深圳。 12:44飞向西雅图。在厦门航空飞机上12小时后，于美国时间12日（因为时差）8点到达西雅图。然后过两道海关。第一道是入境。第二道是行李过关。从西雅图乘机去波特兰是一个小时。儿子接我回家又是一个小时。在我离开石码24小时之后了，在我离开美国两个月后，我终于回到美国的家。

昨天跟今天紧张地制作印刷我每年一度的圣诞节平安信。下午全部付邮，松了一口气。

我的故乡行过得相当愉快。对国内的进步印象深刻，对亲友们的关心、招待和馈赠铭记在心。谨发此网页代平安信和感谢信，并祝各位和家人身体健康，圣诞节、新年愉快。

下面的照片是我回美后头两天从波特兰机场拍到Salem 的。最后一组是昨天（2018.12.16）我们一家人庆祝小儿子生日的照片。他45岁。30年前我独自来美时比他还大二岁。

回美一星期有感（2018.12.19）：

到今天正好回美一个星期。时差还在困扰我。体现在晚上早早（八时）就爱睡，然后下半夜就醒了。同时，午睡睡得很沉很长（两个小时）。
生活当然是喜欢美国的：（1）安静。房子之间有间隔且各自有隔音保温，因此不会听到邻居的声音；走路的地方很少车很少人；开车的地方路宽，开车人很少按喇叭。（2）暖和。室外比国内冷12度左右，但室内有暖气，没有寒冷的感觉。洗澡可以热水浸泡。（3）方便。网速是国内的数倍，而且没有任何网控，想看哪里看哪里，上传及下载都不用等；回国二月，自用的药品完了还没空上网去买。保险挂钩的医院自己打电话来，询问情况，立即把用药邮寄来。

不过，我们这里位于北纬45度，日照时间很短。早上快八点太阳才出（家乡是5：30），而下午四点半（家乡是7点）就落山了。而且又是雨季，几乎天天下雨。还好，回来后我仍然天天得以去走路40分钟，因为总有不下雨的空隙可以出去。

也许由于我回来天天走路，同时恢复服美国药 Metformin，回来后我的血糖从在国内时的150上下，迅速（四天内）降到120以下，而且还天天吃友人馈赠的白水贡糖呢。