Optimism.

I feel I'm really starting to get a handle on this city, and being mobile within it. I'm not afraid to just hop on a bus to nowhere, or get into a taxi without knowing how to say the name of a place. I can direct in Chinese, though only very basically. Unfortunately I had to skip out on classes this week to handle my visa drama, but it's all finally handled.

I'm really quite excited to come home. Today I ducked into a few stores and saw things I'd like to bring home for Christmas. What's most exciting is the fact I can afford them. As usual, I'm not really interested in presents; I have everything I need. But it would be nice to have a quilt.

(I'm typing this in a Muslim restaurant, and a few men tried to bring in baijiu. Drinking alcohol, of course, isn't allowed in here. Before I came here, I tried some soup at a restaurant I've never been to before. Because I'm so awful at reading, I just picked the one with the most recognizable characters -- "ji" and "hua." I received a very strange concoction of very recognizable chicken parts. I mean, I ate it all, but now I'm eating egg-tomato-rice just to make up for it.)