Frozen World

Looking out the airplane window at the flat Tianjin countryside below, I surprised myself. I thought it was pretty.

Frozen canals, frozen fish ponds, skeleton trees reflected in the glassy ice. Brown, brown, endlessly brown. Fallow fields; one shimmered on the edge with orange fire.

Then, as we approached the city, it began to look like something made with Legos. Little factories, matchbox cars, apartment blocks. Gray streaks of roads.

In the distance appeared the city, rising out of a thick, brown-tinged fog. I could see the TV tower in the middle. Touching down, I actually felt excited.

Surprised, too, about being excited.

It's good to be home.