From jamesfallows.com (about the author):

Yes, presence in any foreign environment “improves” people in various ways. They learn about the new country, and their home country, and themselves, in ways they couldn’t otherwise. They’re jogged out of routines. They are exposed to different languages and approaches to life. And blah blah blah. Every day’s exposure to China no doubt improves me in all those ways.

But I realize that, in addition to pulverizing me in a physical sense, this China stint is making me worse in several ways. I’ll kick off the series with the most obvious transformation; I already have three or four others in mind and fear there will be many more installments to come. [Full Text]