BEING SICK IN HONG KONG

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I am recovering from an allergy attack which was caused by eating a mango. I tell this story with chagrin, as I should have learned my lesson the last time I ate a mango and had an allergic reaction - albeit less severe than the current one. I had hoped that the previous time I had merely ate the wrong type of mango. I now know differently. So, one of my great pleasures in Hong Kong where I eat very little chocolate, my other great pleasure, is to eat mangos. But, I’ll have to forego this hedonistic tendency for now.
The rash which had covered my face, neck, and upper chest is, thankfully, receding now. But, Tuesday was miserable, and I spend the majority of yesterday in bed, due to the drowsiness side effect of Benedryl. I’m still working my way out of a drug-induced mental haze. Speaking of Benedryl, it is not available in Hong Kong, apparently. So, I horde my dwindling supply from the States. I have plenty of Claritin here though.
My main reason for writing on the blog about this is to extol the kindness shown to me by my Asian friends when I was sick. You know, in the States, we rarely interact with our neighbors; I think this is especially true when we live in apartment complexes, as I have since having moved out of my parents’ home. Because I do not live in the same area as either of my parents and I am currently single, I tend to be comfort-deprived. Even though I will soon be 32 years old, I still long for my mother’s attention when I am sick. I’ll never forget how awful it was to have the stomach flu in Germany. How I yearned for my mother to put a cool cloth on my forehead or make me some chicken soup.
Well, in Hong Kong I have been comforted and fussed over by no less than four lovely ladies! My office mate, Rosa, gave me some salve to put on my skin that is meant to reduce swelling and itching. This was especially helpful, since going to the doctor to get a prescription here is expensive and difficult to arrange for me as a person who is blind. The woman who brings me my lunch everyday, Bess, bought me four bottles of sugar cane juice. According to Chinese medicine, sugar juice is helpful in counteracting ill effects from allergic reactions. The woman who does my laundry every week, Amy, brought me three kinds of bread, a hard boiled egg, and some cold chrysanthemum tea. She also called just to see how I was doing. And, my friend Sally, a doctoral student in social work, brought me hot chrysanthemum tea. The chrysanthemum tea is considered a cool drink, while mangos are categorized as hot by Chinese medicine practitioners. I do think the tea helped my rash to recede. I’d like to point out that each of these women was Chinese, and none of them would take money from me to repay their kindness.
So, while my skin was itching acutely, I was comforted emotionally by my friends. I really like the Asian orientation to community and/or family. I think our individualistic, Western society should learn a lot from Asia in this regard.

OTHER NEWS TIDBITS
I’ll just share a few odds and ends with my faithful blog readers.
Jill, my guide dog in retirement in the States, has acquired a new behavior. She now howls! Here is the story as told by my father, her faithful caretaker. Jill was riding in the camper-top-covered back of my dad’s truck. Since she has arthritis in her joints, my dad lifts her from the truck to the ground; isn’t he kind to her? Anyway, Jill was getting out of the truck when she saw the Golden Retriever, Callie, across the street. Callie and Jill are friends, but they have to bark at each other to keep up appearances. Well, when Jill saw Kallie, she let out a wolfish howl! I’ve never heard Jill how! (To tell the truth, I’m a little jealous that my dad got to witness this momentous occasion in my absence .) What I want to know is whether I’ll be able to hear this upon my return home in December.
For my blind friends I wanted to write a little about the differences in braille paper that I’ve noticed in Hong Kong, as compared to the States. I am happy to learn that braille paper is produced locally by Hong Kong vendors. When one considers the price of shipping anything between the U.S. and Hong Kong, this makes perfect sense. The most common form of braille paper is thinner than what we typically use in the States. I have never seen 19-hole paper. Either the paper is stapled together or the tractor feed edges are left on, and string is strung through the holes on the left-hand side of the page.
Often, the braille cells are taller than ours in the States. So, there is more distance between dots when going vertically than horizontally. Cantonese and English braille are interspersed seamlessly within documents. Cantonese braille seems to forgo spaces between words. There are spaces at the end of sentences, though.
While I think that it would be accurate to say that the majority of alternate format requested in the States is large print, its opposite is true in Hong Kong. Even those with low vision are taught braille from a young age. Today, I had the opportunity to talk with a physics professor at the University of Hong Kong who is blind. For most of his life, he could see well enough to visually read specially prepared diagrams and other graphical material. However, he was taught braille as a child. I commend Hong Kong for this promising practice.
Since the writing muse who often visits me as I contribute to this blog is absent tonight - probably because I’m still on antihistamines - I will close this entry now. My love to all.

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