Back where things make sense

I’m back now – back where the signs can’t be read and there are more people, cars, and bikes around than you ever knew existed, where babies have a slit in their pants so they can poop on the sidewalk, where the construction never stops, and the authorities call you every few days just to make sure you are who you say you are. Yes, I'm back in the Wild East.

I never really went through culture shock when I came to China in November. It’s such a livable, convenient city that if you only visited Shanghai, you could not say you visited China. It’s not an accurate portrayal of the rest of the country (not that any one city is). But going home, I went through some sort of reverse culture shock – it's like my brother said, “you’ve changed Doogie.” The trip itself was surreal. After thinking about going home for months I was finally back amongst people and faces familiar and getting an idea of what it would really be like to live in Philly again. I spent five weeks there and one in Chicago with trips to D.C., New York and world-famous Conshohocken along the way.

In all, I made it to four Phillies games, my nephew’s T-ball championship, the White House again, two weddings (one of which I was the best man for), a college graduation, a bachelor party, a law school graduation, a sweet 16 party, Mother’s and Father’s Day BBQs, a Broadway play, and a baseball game at Wrigley. In many ways, it was the all-American trip. From Chinese food at an Irish Bar on 2nd street to my first visit to Bartram’s Garden, I took in as much as I could and kept up my Chinese wherever and whenever I could; and so…without further ado, here are some pics.