where's China?

A friend just sent me an article with a few tips to help yourself decide if you should go to China or not. I liked one of the ideas: the longer you stay in China, the harder it is to talk about it.

Now, why is that true? not sure there is a rational explanation, but it's how I feel too. I think the word we use is "cristalization": in your mind, you keep an impression, a model of things stuck as they were in a certain situation, and you make that your general concept of the topic. so for example, your way of living in China becomes the way you think China is; and you dont easily put yourself in question about that. but it's so totally different from what your friends live abroad, from what you were living before, that you can't explain it.
The longer you stay, the more normal it seems to you; therefore, the less you pay attention to how you behave on a daily basis, and the harder it gets to present, explain in detai, analyse your experience.
any comment on this? please post, I'll be reading and responding :)

on a slightly related topic, and I'm not targetting only ex-expats with this question: have you ever felt like you missed a place where you'd live, so much, so much, you thought you could never be so happy ever again?

I miss China badly those days, mostly because of the people whom I know there, and because of the freedom I was able to keep in my life the whole time. There really are opportunities everywhere in China, if one is willing to take one's courage, patience, and learn about the culture, accept things without understanding, compromise. China did build my patience.
Now I'm waiting for my next chance to go there ;) wait for me guys, we'll share a giant pizza at Kro's nest!!