LJ user qingdaomitch has this to say:

Everybody I've talked in the states since I arrived in Guangzhou have asked when will I come back or if I'm homesick. When I answer probably never or just for vacation, or I'm not homesick, they start questioning why I would do such a thing, or as one person put it "aren't you scared to be there that long?" Scared of what, getting service on a Sunday like you said, of being able to walk a block to get everything I need rather than a 10 min drive, of seeing something other that strip malls and Wal-marts (at lest for the time being), or experiencing what's really out there in person rather than through an image or from a couch.

Don't panic. I bought two phone cards today.