Comparing lifestyles in nations a world apart

By mid-June, I will have lived in China for three years. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, I haven't been back to my own country, the United States, in all that time.

Lately, I've become more nostalgic about my life in the US. As the saying goes, there's no place like home, so, of course, there are many things I miss about my beloved Florida.

That said, there are great things about living in China, too, that I will inevitably miss once I eventually leave.

These thoughts inspired me to make a list of some of the advantages that the US and China have over each other. Of course, these advantages are purely from my perspective, and some are somewhat fastidious.

I'll start with the US.

Standard home appliances: In my adult life, I had never lived in a home that did not have both a dishwasher and a clothes dryer until I came to Asia (to be fair, this isn't just a China issue).These machines are practically standard in American homes, but not on this side of the world, where people generally wash their dishes by hand and hang their clothes outside. I really appreciate the convenience of such machines, and I think Asian people are largely missing out on the ability to be as lazy as we Americans are when it comes to cleaning things.

Comforters: In the US, you can buy what we call a comforter, a quilted blanket in which the cover is generally not removable because the inside is stitched to it. In China, it seems impossible to buy one. Every time I try, I can only find duvets. With duvets, the cover and blanket are separate, and you have to stuff the latter into the former. It drives me crazy, seriously. I've even tried to watch tutorial videos online about how to do this effectively, but I still fail. Can I please just buy a comforter in China? Please?

Heaters: Americans should really cherish their ability to control heating in their homes during the winter. Most of us have thermostats that enable us to do this. But in China, this appears not to be the standard. Heating seems to be controlled by the building managers who follow set dates to turn it off and on. This can be problematic, as sometimes the heat is turned off early, leaving people to shiver in their homes and offices until temperatures officially get warm. And it's even worse for people who live in places such as Shanghai or Nanjing, Jiangsu province, who don't have heaters provided at all, despite cold temperatures, because they are officially part of South China.

Now, in what ways is China better than the US?

Holidays: I really like that China offers more holidays than the US does. American holidays are typically just one day only. Sometimes, companies may add an extra day off for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but this is far from typical. Most Chinese public holidays last at least two days, with three－Spring Festival, Labor Day and National Day－lasting a week or longer. Cheers to that!

High-speed rail: There simply is no comparison. High-speed rail here absolutely trumps the rail system in the US. It's fast, convenient, and expansive. America has a lot of catching up to do in this regard.

Paying by phone: To be fair, this is also being practiced in the US via programs like Apple Pay. Still, WeChat Pay and Alipay are the dominant payment systems in China, whereas in the US, most people still purchase things with either cash or credit or debit cards. China is quickly becoming a cashless society, much to my delight.

Bathroom stalls: This is common sense. Bathroom stalls should not have large gaps in the doors so people can see inside them when people need privacy. In the US, we have failed to grasp this. China, though, like other Asian nations, has stalls that properly afford people the privacy they need.

Contact the writer at jamal@chinadaily.com.cn