After staying in Shima (Longhai, Fujian) with my mom for close to three months, I came back to the US five days ago. Being back in my Salem home, I could eat, sleep and walk, but I would be wide-awake at midnight for about three hours, probably due to jetlag.

It felt good to be home with my mom, or back with my family in the US. Home is sweet home, in both China and the US. For fresh food, my hometown Shima beats Salem squarely. For living condition, Salem beats Shima head-on. Here, the streets are quiet and wide, and walking in the neighborhood is always a treat.

Yet trans-Pacific air travel is always a challenge. From the time I said goodbye to my mom in Shima, to the time I joined my wife at my Salem home, more than 36 hours were spent in the trip, among which, 2 hours from Xiamen to Taipei, 12 hours from Taipei to Los Angeles, and 2 hours from LAX to Portland. Traveling abroad also gives you the opportunity to rate the facility and services. On food provided on the air, China Airlines does the best while Alaska Airline is the worst. During the journey from LAX to PDX at a dinner hour (5:40PM to 8:00PM), Alaska only handed out a 0.5 oz snack (see picture). US airports also fail in facilities and convenience. In both Xiamen and Taipei airports, wheeled hand-carts are wildly available and free. At Portland "International" Airport, all hand-carts are locked down, and will not be released unless you pay $5.00.

回故国近三个月后，终于在五天前告别妈妈和亲人朋友，离乡回美。回美后至今未能摆脱时差的困扰，半夜总要醒来一次，迟迟不能入睡，干脆起床洗漱、喝水、看电脑，折腾三个小时再去睡。

回乡的感觉很好，回美的感觉也同样好，因为两边都是家。家乡的食品丰富得多，尤其是新鲜的东西。美国这边，买东西得上超市，而且大都是冰冻的。但这里的环境清静，无论白天黑夜，无论上街或在家，都没有高音、杂音。

旅途当然是辛苦的。从弟弟载我离石码家，到儿子载我回到 Salem 家，整整36个小时多（在飞机上时间约为16小时，即厦门到台北2小时，台北到美国洛杉矶12小时，洛杉矶到波特兰2小时）。乘坐的班机给旅客吃得最好的是台湾的华航（China Airlines），最差的是美国的阿拉斯加航空（Alaska Airlines）。从洛杉矶到波特兰的两个多小时，又逢晚餐时间（5:40到8：00），竟然只给半个巴掌大的一小包“点心”。机场服务也是美国的最差。无论在台北或厦门，机场的行李推车都是免费的。在波特兰机场，行李车全锁了，用一次得五美元。

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(will switch to Spring 2014 in 20 minutes; 二十分钟后自动转到 二0一四年春天）