My divided heart and the place I call home

When I left China for a visit home and landed at the airport on Kauai, Hawaii, I was teary-eyed at being "home again". Leaving there and arriving on mainland America, I said to myself, "Ah, home". Returning to my apartment in China, I sighed and thought, "Gosh, it's good to be home."

If home is where the heart is, then I have a divided heart after eight years of living and working in China and becoming a visitor at those other places I call home, Kauai, and mainland America. I now experience culture shock wherever I go!

The Kauai airport is small and everyone is smiling and friendly. There's sweet music playing and the scent of flowers permeates the soft air. On Kauai I must remember to go very, very, slowly. When driving, it takes time to get used to people stopping and waving you on ahead of them at intersections - with a big smile. "Hawaiian time" means we get there when we get there. No hurry, no worry. You go first.