This is just a very brief post to say thank you to everyone who followed my blog while I was away, who sent me letters, pictures, coffee, cards, words of support and kept me going when things were looking really quite bleak in Xinjiang. I recovered from my illnesses, came home in July, and spent the summer as a couch potato, the effects of which I'm now trying to reverse back at the uni gym.
It's wonderful to be back :)
Friday, 9 October 2009
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Feeling Chesty in the Qi
Last Saturday I had an annoying dry cough; by the evening it had got worse, and by the time I came home from supper I was feeling a little ill. Turned myself into bed around 2330 and proceeded to have a night of mad dreams, frequently waking up covered in sweat, hot all over. Sunday came and went in a relatively uncomfortable headachey fevery sweaty way. After my shower Sunday night I went to bed and shivered most of the night, in what felt like the opposite to the previous day. All this time I was coughing, and coughing up phlegm. I woke on Monday morning at 0430, just a few short hours after going to sleep, with nothing in my stomach, zero blood sugar, and a desperate need for the toilet. When I reached the bathroom however, it became obvious I was going to pass out, immediately post flow as it were. Brilliant. Stopping myself from passing out, and with my ears ringing, I quickly drank some water and got some sugar in me before returning to bed but unable to sleep until about 0630. Now the fun begins.
Feeling better, but not much so, I decide to go and see a doctor. This is, after all, about the first time I can remember being unwell for more than 1 day (operations not counted). Usually I have a short burst of illness, it goes, I get better, simple. So this time, on Day 3 of feeling bad, I wanted to know what was up. My friend Bruce took me to a hospital, and helped me get set up (when you arrive you need to buy a special record book, which is just for the doctor to chronicle your symptoms and his treatments; it comes with a swipe-card too, which is then personalised to you, enabling you to get test results etc) and book an appointment. I say book, you basically pay a couple of yuan and get a ticket with a number. It was 1400.
When we got to the 3rd floor, we found all the departments closed until 1530. Yes, a 90 minute break in the middle of the day. What? Apparently if we needed treatment at any time of day we could go to the emergency dept, but they wouldnt have specialists or anything ... so we had to wait an hour and a half for the doctor to come off his lunch break, and then see other people who came in the morning and who now had X-rays and godknowswhat needing reviewing. Finally, it was our turn. The doctor conducted his examination in English and Chinese, looked at my throat, listened to my list of symptoms but didnt listen to my chest or take a temperature (strange no?) or BP reading ... before ordering me a blood test and an X-ray, and telling me to come back with the results (before 1900, since that's when they close shop).
First you have to pay - this isn't the NHS remember! - and then you take your receipts with you to the various testing depts. Blood test on the second floor, a five second jobby, nothing traumatic, though I did question why the woman doing my blood test was herself hooked up to a drip. X-ray on the first floor, again a quick thing, though they said the prints would only be ready after 1810. Drat, why so long? Bruce and I collected my blood results after half an hour from a swipe-card-operated machine, and then he had to leave for a meeting. At 1750 I decided to chance it, and went early to collect my X-rays. They'd been sitting there for god knows how long! Damn it, I could have been doing something other than sitting on a bench feeling ill because I was hungry but there was nothing to eat in the whole hospital (no coffee shop, nothing). Up to the doctor, who looked at my results and told me I had "lung disease" though I'm fairly sure that his English translates to "chest infection" because I damn sure do not have lung disease. Whatever, there were streaky lines across my lungs, not good.
Despite previously telling him no drips (the Chinese LOVE drips but I happen to believe if I can swallow there's not much need for one, and certainly people in the UK get ill and get better all the time without ever having a needle put inside their veins), he prescribed three drips over three days and some other medicines besides. First of course, I had to buy the medicine ... down to the first floor again. Here there are three counters, A, B and C. At counter A I was able to pick up some of my medicines and pay for them. At counter B they told me to go to counter C, where I paid for the medicines from counter B before going back and collecting them. Then I had to go back up to the doctor to show him I had the right meds and for him to tell me how and when to take them ... 麻烦 (ma fan) is the Chinese for "troublesome" or "hassle" and it definitely applies to their hospital system. So, the result, one drip a day for three days, one antibiotic tablet twice a day, four cough medicine capsules twice a day, and some horrible disgusting powder that I am still not quite sure about four times a day. Oh and because it was after 1900 (he was running late, hmmmm here's a thought, dont take 90 minutes off in the middle of the day) I had to go to the emergency dept to get started on my first drip.
To say I was nervous is an understatement, but I knew it was something I had to get on with, so I went. I'm not sure what caused my initial reaction but about 5 seconds after the drip needle was inserted my heartrate shot up, I started sweating uncontrollably, and everything went white and ringy. Of course the nurse had left the room by then. About five minutes later and my panic attack was over, the only discomfort remaining being the numbness alternating with pins and needles in both hands. And even that stopped, leaving me feeling quite alright for the remaining hour and a half that I sat with a needle in my hand. Finally it was over and I could go home, via something small to eat, and get some sleep. The next day's drip was a lot better (I told the nurse about my ordeal and she said it was because the liquid went into me too fast, so she squeezed the bag a bit to limit the air inside, and I felt a lot better, but the drip did take twice as long and being hooked up to a drip for 3 hours wasn't much fun either). By the third day of treatment I had become quite used to it though I remain a little aghast at the lack of hygiene considering these people do this day in day out - sure they wear masks, and spray everything with some kind of antiseptic, but they dont use gloves (yeah they're playing with needles and not using gloves), and I've sat right in front of them as they take the needle out of a patient next to me and excess liquid shoots across the floor. Is it any wonder I didn't want more of this?
I went to see the doctor again on Friday. This time there were no blood tests or X-rays, just a quick consultation, a repeat prescription minus the drips (phew) and told I can go to class again whenever I want. I guess I must be getting better. My breathing is a lot easier now, and I'm not coughing up that much any more. Hurray. Now if I can just stay well for another 44 days I might be able to leave China in July.
(Total cost of meds - 150rmb for blood test and x-ray, 285rmb for one set of meds, 285rmb for another, something like 285rmb for the third, approx 1000rmb in total)
Feeling better, but not much so, I decide to go and see a doctor. This is, after all, about the first time I can remember being unwell for more than 1 day (operations not counted). Usually I have a short burst of illness, it goes, I get better, simple. So this time, on Day 3 of feeling bad, I wanted to know what was up. My friend Bruce took me to a hospital, and helped me get set up (when you arrive you need to buy a special record book, which is just for the doctor to chronicle your symptoms and his treatments; it comes with a swipe-card too, which is then personalised to you, enabling you to get test results etc) and book an appointment. I say book, you basically pay a couple of yuan and get a ticket with a number. It was 1400.
When we got to the 3rd floor, we found all the departments closed until 1530. Yes, a 90 minute break in the middle of the day. What? Apparently if we needed treatment at any time of day we could go to the emergency dept, but they wouldnt have specialists or anything ... so we had to wait an hour and a half for the doctor to come off his lunch break, and then see other people who came in the morning and who now had X-rays and godknowswhat needing reviewing. Finally, it was our turn. The doctor conducted his examination in English and Chinese, looked at my throat, listened to my list of symptoms but didnt listen to my chest or take a temperature (strange no?) or BP reading ... before ordering me a blood test and an X-ray, and telling me to come back with the results (before 1900, since that's when they close shop).
First you have to pay - this isn't the NHS remember! - and then you take your receipts with you to the various testing depts. Blood test on the second floor, a five second jobby, nothing traumatic, though I did question why the woman doing my blood test was herself hooked up to a drip. X-ray on the first floor, again a quick thing, though they said the prints would only be ready after 1810. Drat, why so long? Bruce and I collected my blood results after half an hour from a swipe-card-operated machine, and then he had to leave for a meeting. At 1750 I decided to chance it, and went early to collect my X-rays. They'd been sitting there for god knows how long! Damn it, I could have been doing something other than sitting on a bench feeling ill because I was hungry but there was nothing to eat in the whole hospital (no coffee shop, nothing). Up to the doctor, who looked at my results and told me I had "lung disease" though I'm fairly sure that his English translates to "chest infection" because I damn sure do not have lung disease. Whatever, there were streaky lines across my lungs, not good.
Despite previously telling him no drips (the Chinese LOVE drips but I happen to believe if I can swallow there's not much need for one, and certainly people in the UK get ill and get better all the time without ever having a needle put inside their veins), he prescribed three drips over three days and some other medicines besides. First of course, I had to buy the medicine ... down to the first floor again. Here there are three counters, A, B and C. At counter A I was able to pick up some of my medicines and pay for them. At counter B they told me to go to counter C, where I paid for the medicines from counter B before going back and collecting them. Then I had to go back up to the doctor to show him I had the right meds and for him to tell me how and when to take them ... 麻烦 (ma fan) is the Chinese for "troublesome" or "hassle" and it definitely applies to their hospital system. So, the result, one drip a day for three days, one antibiotic tablet twice a day, four cough medicine capsules twice a day, and some horrible disgusting powder that I am still not quite sure about four times a day. Oh and because it was after 1900 (he was running late, hmmmm here's a thought, dont take 90 minutes off in the middle of the day) I had to go to the emergency dept to get started on my first drip.
To say I was nervous is an understatement, but I knew it was something I had to get on with, so I went. I'm not sure what caused my initial reaction but about 5 seconds after the drip needle was inserted my heartrate shot up, I started sweating uncontrollably, and everything went white and ringy. Of course the nurse had left the room by then. About five minutes later and my panic attack was over, the only discomfort remaining being the numbness alternating with pins and needles in both hands. And even that stopped, leaving me feeling quite alright for the remaining hour and a half that I sat with a needle in my hand. Finally it was over and I could go home, via something small to eat, and get some sleep. The next day's drip was a lot better (I told the nurse about my ordeal and she said it was because the liquid went into me too fast, so she squeezed the bag a bit to limit the air inside, and I felt a lot better, but the drip did take twice as long and being hooked up to a drip for 3 hours wasn't much fun either). By the third day of treatment I had become quite used to it though I remain a little aghast at the lack of hygiene considering these people do this day in day out - sure they wear masks, and spray everything with some kind of antiseptic, but they dont use gloves (yeah they're playing with needles and not using gloves), and I've sat right in front of them as they take the needle out of a patient next to me and excess liquid shoots across the floor. Is it any wonder I didn't want more of this?
I went to see the doctor again on Friday. This time there were no blood tests or X-rays, just a quick consultation, a repeat prescription minus the drips (phew) and told I can go to class again whenever I want. I guess I must be getting better. My breathing is a lot easier now, and I'm not coughing up that much any more. Hurray. Now if I can just stay well for another 44 days I might be able to leave China in July.
(Total cost of meds - 150rmb for blood test and x-ray, 285rmb for one set of meds, 285rmb for another, something like 285rmb for the third, approx 1000rmb in total)
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Idio (ma) tic
The Chinese have an idiom for just about everything, and they use them a lot. Indeed, if you want to get anywhere really serious in China (as a foreigner I mean) with your language, you probably need to know a good few for everyday use. I know barely any, because they can be quite hard to learn (four words to represent whole concepts, with underlying stories, etc) and because we just don't seem to be taught them so often. I digress.
Here's one of them: 将错就错 (jiang cuo jiu cuo) which means "to leave a mistake uncorrected and make the best of the situation" ... I think this is supposed to convey a sense of chivalry and ability to let things slide - the example in our books was of a boy who had his birthday; his sister brought him a cake, but he was leaving his room, so he placed it carefully outside a friend's, and thought he would collect it when he got back; however, when he returned, the occupant of the other room was celebrating HER birthday, and was eating the cake he'd left; rather than fix the error and complain about them eating his sister's gift, he just said he'd seen someone leave it there and run off, thus 将错就错.
I see it in a different way around me (a most comic way I should add) - the Chinese inability to ask for advice or help with their English, and just plough on regardless of error. The Foreign Language Club at my uni has been organising "trails" (I think they mean trials) for an English speaking competition ... the title of the last debate was "Culture Smart or Science Intelligent?", and while I get the general idea ("Which is more important - Culture or Science?"), it somewhat amazes me that they didnt even think to ASK for some advice on this, and instead leave their garbled Chinglish on a sign for all to see ...
And let's not forget the student(s) who ask me to help them with their English, notably one guy I saw on Monday. He asked me to speak into his MP3 player so he could record my voice and get good pronunciation for the aforementioned speaking competition. I took a look over his work and asked, "Do you want me to read this as it is, or correct the mistakes first?" ... He came back with, "But I did it all myself, there are no mistakes". After a bit of yes there are, no there aren't-ing between us I said, "Look, you asked for my help, do you want it or not? If you're so sure there are no mistakes in this, why ask me to look at it and read it for you?" ... ah, he saw the light, and accepted my help. Sheesh, I go to Bruce every week with questions! My Chinese is far from perfect. Why would their English be any different?!
Most impressive however, are tshirts. I am really writing this whole post because of tshirts ... Here are some crackers (and if I can find out where they are, I will try and get some, though may not be able to wear them in Britain (in public)).
"I AM A CAT PERSON" (printed around a fish skeleton outline)
"FUCKER" (yeah, just that, in yellow on a purple tshirt)
"IM FUCKING AWESOME" (plain blue print on a white tshirt)
"KING OF AFRICA" (back of a leather jacket, with a map of Africa. kid had no idea)
"I AM NOT BLACK (I LIKE BLACK)" (first line in massive white letters on a black leather jacket, second line in smaller white letters underneath)
"GOODNEWS DELIVERIES"
"IN THE SHOCK"
and the best one yet, seen about an hour ago ...
"HALIBUT COD FILLET PLAICE" (and some other fish whose names i forget, printed in a list running down this girl's pink tshirt
Seriously guys, learn when to ask for advice about this kind of thing. Mind you, there are some really stupid Westerners going around with dumb "Chinese" tattoos, which is probably worse than a tshirt, all things considered.
Here's one of them: 将错就错 (jiang cuo jiu cuo) which means "to leave a mistake uncorrected and make the best of the situation" ... I think this is supposed to convey a sense of chivalry and ability to let things slide - the example in our books was of a boy who had his birthday; his sister brought him a cake, but he was leaving his room, so he placed it carefully outside a friend's, and thought he would collect it when he got back; however, when he returned, the occupant of the other room was celebrating HER birthday, and was eating the cake he'd left; rather than fix the error and complain about them eating his sister's gift, he just said he'd seen someone leave it there and run off, thus 将错就错.
I see it in a different way around me (a most comic way I should add) - the Chinese inability to ask for advice or help with their English, and just plough on regardless of error. The Foreign Language Club at my uni has been organising "trails" (I think they mean trials) for an English speaking competition ... the title of the last debate was "Culture Smart or Science Intelligent?", and while I get the general idea ("Which is more important - Culture or Science?"), it somewhat amazes me that they didnt even think to ASK for some advice on this, and instead leave their garbled Chinglish on a sign for all to see ...
And let's not forget the student(s) who ask me to help them with their English, notably one guy I saw on Monday. He asked me to speak into his MP3 player so he could record my voice and get good pronunciation for the aforementioned speaking competition. I took a look over his work and asked, "Do you want me to read this as it is, or correct the mistakes first?" ... He came back with, "But I did it all myself, there are no mistakes". After a bit of yes there are, no there aren't-ing between us I said, "Look, you asked for my help, do you want it or not? If you're so sure there are no mistakes in this, why ask me to look at it and read it for you?" ... ah, he saw the light, and accepted my help. Sheesh, I go to Bruce every week with questions! My Chinese is far from perfect. Why would their English be any different?!
Most impressive however, are tshirts. I am really writing this whole post because of tshirts ... Here are some crackers (and if I can find out where they are, I will try and get some, though may not be able to wear them in Britain (in public)).
"I AM A CAT PERSON" (printed around a fish skeleton outline)
"FUCKER" (yeah, just that, in yellow on a purple tshirt)
"IM FUCKING AWESOME" (plain blue print on a white tshirt)
"KING OF AFRICA" (back of a leather jacket, with a map of Africa. kid had no idea)
"I AM NOT BLACK (I LIKE BLACK)" (first line in massive white letters on a black leather jacket, second line in smaller white letters underneath)
"GOODNEWS DELIVERIES"
"IN THE SHOCK"
and the best one yet, seen about an hour ago ...
"HALIBUT COD FILLET PLAICE" (and some other fish whose names i forget, printed in a list running down this girl's pink tshirt
Seriously guys, learn when to ask for advice about this kind of thing. Mind you, there are some really stupid Westerners going around with dumb "Chinese" tattoos, which is probably worse than a tshirt, all things considered.
Monday, 18 May 2009
The Great Firewall of China
You might have heard about it, China's systematic blocking of certain websites. Earlier this year, someone somewhere in the world put something up on Youtube criticising the Chinese over their management of Tibet. Almost overnight, the GFW blocked Youtube in its entirity. There is one way round it, you can use a special proxy site and watch a certain amount (usually around 5 minutes) for free every 8 hours (or pay 1.50 euros to receive more access). This is ridiculous.
And now, this week, Blogspot has been blocked (at least from my home connection, I've not tried on other connections or other computers), which makes updating very tricky. I am currently using a proxy site to bypass the so-called firewall, but it is hassle and I'm not even sure it will work when I come to actually POST this.
It's annoying that I should have to resort to this kind of thing, though I'm probably (in part) one of the reasons for it happening in the first place, it's not like I say very positive things about this country. Here's one more negative - China, you fooled the world into giving you the Olympics, and you are currently successful in pushing your economy Westward, but if you ever hope to free yourself from this ridiculous "developing country" ball to which you have chained yourself, and integrate properly with the so-called First / Civilised world, you will have to relax your grip on the population and let them see what the world really is.
Or, here's a start for you, let Chinese people see the real CHINA. The China that prevents mourning parents from visiting the crappily-built schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake last year (while other surrounding buildings remained upright) which form the last place their children were seen. The China that wants to keep an entire town in a semi-destroyed state to create a national site for people to visit and remember the tragic natural disaster which killed thousands (in part due to rushed, poor Chinese architecture). The China which is closing its citizens' eyes to anything they don't want them to know about. The differences between the Chinese higher "education" system and that found in Western countries (seriously, tell me of a European country which requires you take a politics exam in the knowledge of your nation's history and government - according to their version! - and then uses THIS mark over the academic exams to determine where in the country - ie how close to Beijing! - you can study). The China where a "Teaching University" not only has rules on the lowest height permitted for students, but also rules against disabled candidates attending university to become teachers (because a "teacher must be perfect"). The Chinese government which is running scared.
In my gym there's a guy who wears a tshirt saying "I love China more than ever" ... well I hate China more than ever. The more I hear about how life works here the more I will be happy to leave. In 64 days' time I will be on a plane to Dubai, and then home. I know expense scandals, two ongoing stupid wars, and a healthcare system with a questionable future awaits me, but when I compare general life to this, I cannot wait to be back.
And now, this week, Blogspot has been blocked (at least from my home connection, I've not tried on other connections or other computers), which makes updating very tricky. I am currently using a proxy site to bypass the so-called firewall, but it is hassle and I'm not even sure it will work when I come to actually POST this.
It's annoying that I should have to resort to this kind of thing, though I'm probably (in part) one of the reasons for it happening in the first place, it's not like I say very positive things about this country. Here's one more negative - China, you fooled the world into giving you the Olympics, and you are currently successful in pushing your economy Westward, but if you ever hope to free yourself from this ridiculous "developing country" ball to which you have chained yourself, and integrate properly with the so-called First / Civilised world, you will have to relax your grip on the population and let them see what the world really is.
Or, here's a start for you, let Chinese people see the real CHINA. The China that prevents mourning parents from visiting the crappily-built schools that collapsed in the Sichuan earthquake last year (while other surrounding buildings remained upright) which form the last place their children were seen. The China that wants to keep an entire town in a semi-destroyed state to create a national site for people to visit and remember the tragic natural disaster which killed thousands (in part due to rushed, poor Chinese architecture). The China which is closing its citizens' eyes to anything they don't want them to know about. The differences between the Chinese higher "education" system and that found in Western countries (seriously, tell me of a European country which requires you take a politics exam in the knowledge of your nation's history and government - according to their version! - and then uses THIS mark over the academic exams to determine where in the country - ie how close to Beijing! - you can study). The China where a "Teaching University" not only has rules on the lowest height permitted for students, but also rules against disabled candidates attending university to become teachers (because a "teacher must be perfect"). The Chinese government which is running scared.
In my gym there's a guy who wears a tshirt saying "I love China more than ever" ... well I hate China more than ever. The more I hear about how life works here the more I will be happy to leave. In 64 days' time I will be on a plane to Dubai, and then home. I know expense scandals, two ongoing stupid wars, and a healthcare system with a questionable future awaits me, but when I compare general life to this, I cannot wait to be back.
Tuesday, 12 May 2009
More Happenings From Chinaland
The Chinese reaction to Swine Flu (sorry, Type A H1N1 Influenza) is to aggressively quarantine anyone suspected of having it, or of having been in contact with someone who may have had it. Also, to lock up all of Shanghai's Mexicans, regardless of whether or not they have even BEEN TO MEXICO in the past so many weeks ... So basically, having failed miserably to warn the world about Bird Flu and SARS, neither of which thankfully got off the ground in a big way, the Chinese pendulum now swings to the opposite side. I'm willing to bet that, like the word for "logic", traditional Chinese has no word for "middle ground".
In other news, I went to the post office to send a parcel to my girlfriend and the following conversation took place:
[In the room where you have to buy the boxes, opposite the International Counter itself]
Worker: Go to the counter to check you can send all that in one box. ("All that" is a DVD, an item of clothing, and a letter)
[At the counter]
Worker: You can't send this all together.
Me: Why not?
Worker: This is written stuff, and these are articles. You can send the letter on its own and the items in a box.
Me: Why? I've done it before! Look, I'm not blaming YOU, but every time I come here there is some problem and the workers here all say "Oh it's just the regulations", so today, right now, I would like to see these regulations please.
Worker: (perplexed) I'll just go ask my supervisor. Wait a moment.
[She comes back after a minute or two]
Worker: Just a moment I have to make a phone call.
[Another minute passes]
Worker: Okay you can send them all together.
What the hell was that all about? I'm going back with a Chinese friend and I'm demanding a copy of their regulations now, this is ridiculous, I'm willing to bet half the stuff they've told me is just made up by someone who simply didn't like the aesthetics of whatever it was I was doing (writing addresses in red ink for instance) ... In future I'm just going to hide letters with my articles and sod them, I can even declare a letter's presence on the customs form, since I'm almost certain they don't speak / read English at the International Counter.
What a barmy country. Im home in 71 days.
In other news, I went to the post office to send a parcel to my girlfriend and the following conversation took place:
[In the room where you have to buy the boxes, opposite the International Counter itself]
Worker: Go to the counter to check you can send all that in one box. ("All that" is a DVD, an item of clothing, and a letter)
[At the counter]
Worker: You can't send this all together.
Me: Why not?
Worker: This is written stuff, and these are articles. You can send the letter on its own and the items in a box.
Me: Why? I've done it before! Look, I'm not blaming YOU, but every time I come here there is some problem and the workers here all say "Oh it's just the regulations", so today, right now, I would like to see these regulations please.
Worker: (perplexed) I'll just go ask my supervisor. Wait a moment.
[She comes back after a minute or two]
Worker: Just a moment I have to make a phone call.
[Another minute passes]
Worker: Okay you can send them all together.
What the hell was that all about? I'm going back with a Chinese friend and I'm demanding a copy of their regulations now, this is ridiculous, I'm willing to bet half the stuff they've told me is just made up by someone who simply didn't like the aesthetics of whatever it was I was doing (writing addresses in red ink for instance) ... In future I'm just going to hide letters with my articles and sod them, I can even declare a letter's presence on the customs form, since I'm almost certain they don't speak / read English at the International Counter.
What a barmy country. Im home in 71 days.
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