chanlokla

Last night here. I can't believe it's over, and I wonder what the homesickness was all about anyhow. I won't deny it's a combination of relief and nostalgia though. Three weeks was one heck of a trip for me. Heading to Guangzhou tomorrow to visit my grandma and some relatives. I haven't seen them in five years, and I am so, so, so very excited. They will pick everything about me to pieces and then proceed to spoil me to death after I had my self esteem completely crushed by their criticism. It's the Asian way. We made our final presentations today and I did mine on Tobacco in China. Back to the roots of my smoking cessation days. I can't even begin to describe how much I've learned about this country, it's pros and cons, ... read more

My roommate Aye and I have been working on our presentations until early this morning. Around 2:30 am we got hungry. So we walked to KFC. Because you can't go wrong with 24 hour American restaurants in China right? Surprisingly, the server figured out immediately that we actually didn't speak any Chinese. He let us point. Bless his heart. The only major communication error? I asked for orange soda. Which they serve WARM. So I asked them if they had ice because it was too hot. The guy looked at me funny and told me to wait for it to cool down. Apparently it's not just hot tea here...it's hot soda too. I had no idea. But the french fries were delicious. ... read more

We went to visit the Motorola Factory today. That place was CLEAN. I would have licked the floors. If I had an infectious disease, I would have asked to be transported to that factory instead of a hospital. It was that clean. And they had western toilets and the newest cell phones on display. I really liked it. I liked how they had a cafeteria for their employees, how they had a clinic for employees needing health services. I was impressed. Not sure if this is because Nankai University wants to put their best food forward and show us the best parts of China. I'm sure there are terrible working conditions and good working conditions (just like in the USA). But I'm glad that there is progress, and a place like this existed. Then our group ... read more

This forced blogging every day is tiresome. We took a bus trip to visit a rural village in Hebei so we could see what rural health clinics looked like. This is what happened: Four hour bus trip in lots of traffic. A truck full of boxes of bees crashed. The bees flew everywhere on the highway. Good thing the bus had closed windows. Other trucks weren't so lucky. The bees were flying in and out of trucks on the highway. A police escort came to meet us when we got to the village because we're "special American ambassadors" We spent 20 minutes in a larger clinic. We spent 10 minutes in a smaller clinic. We spent 3 hours at a 5 star hotel being served an amazing meal while the local elected officials smoked, drank, laughed, ... read more

We had a lecturer who discussed the rapid urbanization and pollution and China today. Having the actual figures put in front of me made me want to run home and breathe in some fresh US air. And eat food from good US soil. And drink water from good US water sources. Zephyrhills!! Please?!! ... read more

After a night in the four star hotel (that I never wanted to leave) and a complimentary breakfast, I've never felt so revived. There was bacon. And if you are in China for two weeks, bacon is a godsend. Or so I've been told by my friends that are capable of eating and holding down food. I barely ate today. And I've never been so repulsed by food. We headed to the Summer Palace and then took a rickshaw tour of the Hu Tong part of Beijing. We got to visit a traditional style family home in Beijing and it was lovely. After a day of being sick with a group full of students, I fully appreciate the benefits of traveling with a significant other. Next time I travel internationally, I'm definitely dragging Jason along. In ... read more

I woke up sick. My stomach was turning and I mostly definitely was feverish. I was debating whether or not to go to Beijing with our group. But my roommate convinced me that it was worse to be sick alone in a dorm. She was probably right. I went to visit the Temple of Heaven. I felt so horrible, I may have taken a trip to Heaven at one point. Then I got back on the tour bus. We hit our next stop. I thought that if I didn't get off the bus and privately vomitted into a shopping bag, I would feel better and make it to the Forbidden City (something I've always wanted to do). I vomited into a shopping bag, but I didn't feel better. I was miserable and the world was spinning. ... read more

Have you ever been in seriously denial that something was wrong? I was. Today. I couldn't focus in lecture. I went back to the dorm and slept all through lunch. Then I got on a bus to visit a Women's Non profit group. As soon as I got there, I got back in a taxi and went back to the dorms. Then I threw up. Then I convinced myself I was absolutely fine. Then I slept for another 14 hours. I don't remember a thing about today. ... read more

Have you ever met someone and been completely convinced that they would solve your life's problems? I did. Today. He is a director of the Tianjin Teaching Hospital for Chinese Medicine. And he described the efforts to mainstream and incorporate TCM into the healthcare system. Then he described the foundation of TCM. As he was describing it, I realized that he could solve every. single. one. of my problems. All I need is about six months in China, a ton of money, and to get over my fear of random needles sticking into my head!! There are also steam tables, stinky herbs, and some cupping involved. But it's okay, I love steam and massages! Later in the afternoon we visited the Teaching Hospital. That place was crazy. Let's just say that it was a full sized ... read more

I went to visit the Tianjin Bureau of Public Health today. I was fairly certain that when I get back to the office, someone will ask me questions. So I tried to take some careful notes. One of the things that struck me the most was that I cannot comprehend the size of this city. I come from a county of 1 million. There are 14 million here. And the list of hospitals that the Bureau of Public Health manages is dizzying. I lost track after they went through the first twelve. Here's something that's fascinating for me personally. They are just starting a CME and medical resident system here. I've met plenty of international MDs who come to the US for their residencies. I wondered if I would have been one of them if I ... read more