A little States-sick

I almost titled this post "a little homesick". However, to be perfectly honest, I really consider China to be my home right now. After being here for almost three years it really does feel like home (despite the fact that I'm clueless when something like my retainer breaking happens). In the past week, though, I've been a little homesick for the States--which is somewhat unusual for me. Here are several reasons why:

• My sister graduates from medical school today! I have now missed her and my brother-in-law's graduation from med school. One of the hardest parts of being over here is missing big events in the lives of people I love. I'm also itching to meet my nephew Ethan!
• It's the beginning of May, which during my four years of college I associated with the end of the school year. Although our spring semester begins much later here, I still find it hard to believe at this time of the year that we have seven more weeks of classes.
• I've begun looking for and purchasing plane tickets for this summer. As usual, I'm going to try to get around to see as many of you as possible. Look for a post of my itinerary soon!
• This weekend I've been working on a culture lecture I'm giving this Thursday. My topic is Chicago, so it has been building anticipation for this summer! As I was adding pictures of Giordano's deep dish pizza, I really just wanted to hop on a plane! :)

As much as I may be longing for things in America right now, I can also truly say that I feel incredibly blessed to be here. And no, I'm not just saying that. I wouldn't trade this for ten--even a hundred!--deep dish pepperoni pizzas. :) I'm eager to share stories of the year with you this summer!