Discounting all the differences, we're just not so different

I've lived in China for a number of years now. So long, in fact, that I feel - in my own, foreign way - well-acclimated to my surroundings.

Every few years, when I return to my native United States, I'll run into one or another old acquaintance, who invariably asks: "So, you live in China? What's that like?"

I'm usually at a loss for words at first. My immediate thought is, "It's normal." But then I recall the strong curiosity, excitement, the surprise and sometimes puzzlement I felt in my first few years here. I'll recall some detail or anecdote that conveys those feelings to tell my acquaintance.