Two Worlds Colide

Out of sight…out of mind.  That is how I live my life, not that I don’t miss my home in NC, my family, my friends and my career…but life here is soooooooo different here that it almost feels like a whole separate world.  I tend to think that my old world stopped the day we stepped on the plane to China and won’t start up again until we return.  This mindset makes me not feel like I missed out on Christmas, weddings, Thanksgivings, hanging out etc… So far my two worlds have been totally separate with Skype and illegal facebook being the only connections to my old world.
Everything has changed…my mother (someone from my old world) is here in my new world.  She is shopping in my stores, meeting my friends, living in my home and becoming a part of my China world.  It is strange to see her a year older with brand new knees and telling stories about things that I didn’t get to experience.  Although I talked to her a few times a week over Skype and have heard about life in the states, having her here is making everything seem real. 
My old world seems like it was a lifetime ago and I can’t imagine ever leaving my new world.  I am beginning to think that it is going to be much more difficult to go back into a world where you missed so much than it was to become part of a world where you knew no one, had communication issues and had to become a part of a whole new culture.