T Minus 5 weeks

It's hard to believe I have only about a month left in China (my official departure date is July 21). Indeed, the other Whitties will all be leaving shortly and by this Wednesday I'll be done with my duties as outlined in my contract. After that, I have nothing left to do but relax. That is, visit all the places I still haven't seen in Xi'an, buy lots of souvenirs for people and try to fit everything I've acquired over the past year into two suitcases. In celebration of my approaching departure

Things I Am Looking Forward To/What I Absolutely Will Not Miss About China

1. I am looking forward to some decent Western food, namely Mexican food, all dairy products and beer that isn't Tsingtao. / I will not miss the sorry attempts at Western cuisine. I have eaten too much tasteless pasta and and too many "salads" covered in "sweet mayonaise." In addition, the view of dairy products here is a little different than our tastes i.e. milk that is indistinguishable from yogurt and chocolate cheese. The approach to alcohol is equally confusing (I have been offered iced red wine on a number of occasions. And don't even get me started on baijiu.)
2. I am really looking forward to some decent coffee. / This gets its own category outside of 'Western food' because I really, really miss good coffee.
   
3. I am looking forward to bathrooms that provide toilet paper, soap and paper towels. (Amazing, I know.) / I will not miss the lackadaisical approach the bathroom cleanliness, where restrooms smell like waste treatment centers and no one washes their hands. Also, I could really go without babies pooping in the middle of the street or in the middle of a department store (really). Most of all, I will not be sad to say goodbye to squat toilets.
4. I am looking forward to being like everyone else. / I will not miss being stared at everywhere I go just because I'm a foreigner or the people who think it's cool to shout 'HELLO' when I walk by.
   
5. I am looking forward to communicating successfully with others and being where things make sense, at least most of the time. / I will not miss not understanding what is going on 98% of the time. Also, I will most certainly not miss the Chinese approach to scheduling (that is, as last minute as possible) or Chinese bureaucracy, where it's just a waste of time to ask 'why?' (no matter how nonsensical things seem) because no one really knows.
   
6. I am looking forward to seeing all my friends and family that I've been missing for the past year. / On the other hand, I will definitely miss my students and all the friends that I've made here and who have made life a little easier in this strange land.