COMING BACK FROM CHINA (PART 2) The odd sensations continued the next day. First, when having my first meal, I realized that I was supposed to use knives and forks, and cut the food. Of course, to everyone at the table it was the most natural thing, but not to me, I even felt some kind of dismay at the thought of not using chopsticks anymore. Later, I went out for a walk trying to get some air and see if there were any changes in the neighborhood. I immediately sensed that something was missing. It was very simple: there were no Chinese people on the streets; what is more, there were not many people at all by Chinese standards. There were no signs with Chinese characters or incomprehensible dialogues to decipher either. After getting into a shop I unconsciously expected to hear the words huan ying guang ling (欢迎光临), an expression which is usually translated as welcome. I turned to look at the shop assistant as if waiting him to say the missing words, but he naturally remained oblivious to my gaze. The list of this kind of odd sensations could go on, but these are enough to give a picture of the situation. Since the people around me have not had the experience of living in China, I cannot talk to them about it, they would simply not understand and I would simply not know how to explain it without giving the impression of being a bit mad. After all, I know that after some time this phase will end, at least I hope so, even though I do not know how long it will take. Now, twenty days have passed since my return back home. Today I can say that the jet lag has disappeared, but paradoxically enough, at home I am still trying to feel at home again.