Clark Nielsen has translated a list of his wife’s comments on life in Utah to friends and family in her native China. A selection:
4. The sky is blue.
5. You have to wait a long time for a bus, and then the bus is empty.
12. When a traffic light goes out, people still know how to take turns.
14. Some firefighters are just volunteers.
18. Strangers smile at each other.
23. Sometimes a big soda is cheaper than a small soda.
25. People take healthy teeth seriously.
30. No matter how good some things are, I still miss home.
See also Chinatowns and “Chocolate City”: The Magic of Diasporas, on CDT.
