Time in Cary

Well I decided to come home, in Cary, NC where I grew up, and spend some time at the house with the family before my departure on Sunday.  The time here in Cary has been good, a little wild trying to ensure I see everyone I want to, and tying down loose ends before the trip.  I got to sit down and grab lunch today with a good buddy I graduated with named Russell Warriner.  While other people have graduated and gotten jobs at various institutions, gone to grad school, or maybe did a little of both in a fellows program, Russell was the liaison for the University of North Carolina school system in Shanghai, China at Fudan University.  I didn't know what Fudan was either, but apparently is viewed as the Stanford of Chinese universities, so needless to say Russ is kinda a big deal (he's gonna be mad I wrote that, sorry Russ, you are).  So at any rate, we got to catch up on the ins and outs of our past year out of school, and the unique experiences we have been able to enjoy.  Russ is now speaking Chinese, and more importantly developing some really neat relationships with many students at Fudan.  It is really just remarkable the differences he was explaining that exist at a very basic social level between America and China.  Something even as simple as culdesacs (sp*) and mowing the lawn are luxuries not afforded by the majority of Chinese citizens.  Needless to say our conversation has just gotten me even more excited about the trip to Europe, and the opportunity to meet people who have been raised in a completely different culture, and likely see things very different than me.  Russ had to drive up to Boone today to meet with the good people of Appalachian State University, so we concluded our talk, had a quick hug in the parking lot, and split for our cars.  Before I could pull out, I saw Russell run back and tap on the window, telling me he nearly forgot, and had a present for me.  "Oh, ok" I said to him, not really knowing what exactly that could mean, but I hopped out of the car and met him holding some sort of package wrapped in Chinese newspaper.  "Should I open it now?" I asked Russ, to which he responded "yeah, sure" knowing he would have to explain.  So I pull off the well layered newspaper to find this little package of something that looked strangely like vacuum sealed lung butter, "What is this?!?" I ask Russell, and with a huge grin and eased demeanor he responded, "Chicken Feet".