Going Away Party

It's nice to be reminded that people care about you. It's even nicer when it comes in the form of a surprise.

Today, I came home and a bunch of my friends from high school popped out of the corners wielding those boyish grins I'm always so happy to see. Next, my parents and some family friends brought out tons of food. I hadn't heard form many of them in a few weeks, and really had no idea it was coming. It was a great surprise. We stuffed ourselves, shared stories of our gallivants, and argued over the same ridiculous things that we always do. Drayton and I tend to sit back and listen, while the others go at it. Whether it's about movies, politics or girls, the arguments always end hilariously and make me feel at home in a place I never really thought of as home.


I'm leaving for China soon, and might not see them again before I go. To me, they embody cultural essence of America that I truly love--the individualism and belief in innate freedoms. I'm leaving that behind for 3 and a half months. In Confucian philosophy, the individual only has meaning through his/her relationships with others. And ideas of freedom and oppression don't really exist in the way Westerners conceive of them. In both cultures, these kinds of thinking permeate all of one's actions, from making great life choices to receiving the smallest of compliments. Neither can be universally wrong or right; they're just different. Both have their positive and negative implications.

My friends are not really the loudest of patriots, and definitely not an accurate representation of America. But the going away party made them symbolic--when it all boils down, this is what I'll be away from. I will miss the U.S. terribly, but am determined that absorbing another perspective will only heighten my respect for both.

Thank you everyone who came, it really meant a lot to me.