March musings

(Look, Mom, I'm cooking!)
(Your friendly neighborhood health clinic).
(Everyone wants an IV!)
(Shannon's second day with the IV at the clinic).


Hello, from the "furnace city" of China! Nanchang has that nickname, because the weather has only two settings: brutally hot and terribly cold. Sure it isn't as cold temperature-wise as maybe Kansas, but I think it seems colder, especially now that it has been raining for about 17 days now. So everything is so damp and soggy--like my socks I wear or the paper I use for my lesson plans or the kitchen with water dripping from the ceiling.

Anyways, it hasn't been bothering me too much in the past couple of days, although it is affecting my students. At the beginning of class I'll ask my students how they are. They shout, "BAD!!" And I ask them, "why?" They scream that the cold and rain are really getting to them. I say, "What? Why?" as I clutched my damp lesson plan in one hand and watch a white cloud from my breath in the icy cold classroom.

Honestly, it was starting to get to me, too. But I've had this saying running around in my head all day: "Kill them with kindness." Yes, it's miserable if you think about it. But don't think about it! So I tried being super positive and upbeat in all my classes. Maybe my students didn't really change, but I felt my spirits lifted, and I could handle the rowdy kids better.

And, yes, they are like kids, especially my business English class. During the ten-minute break I watch as they run to the window or slap their friend on the head or steal someone's umbrella, all while screaming at the top of their lungs. But they are still my precious students, rain or shine, good behavior or not.

In other news, my teammate Shannon is being "treated" for bronchitis. Note to self: do not get bronchitis in China. They gave her some cough syrup which has been useless. So yesterday she was dragged to the old campus clinic. People in China think everything can be solved by having an "injection"--an IV.

So for four hours yesterday, Shannon sat at the freezing cold clinic in a room with other patients. This room was dedicated to the IV patients. The IV just slowly dripped into her veins forever. Then she had to return today. I decided to visit for awhile to keep her company and see this sight for myself. I was looking at the IV bag, reading the tiny print in English out loud. Our team leader exclaimed, "What? That's just sugar water!" Yes, Nancy Drew comes to the rescue! So that might not really cure much. Maybe it's a psychological thing when you have an IV pumping stuff into you.

I just sat there with them for a while, looking at the amazing surroundings. The campus clinics never cease to fascinate me. I looked at the other students who were hooked up to the same solution. One boy looked half-dead and the other girl was just coughing into the air. People had spit on the floor, and every time the door opened, you caught a nice whiff from the nearby squatty potties. A little voice in my head was thinking, "if you aren't sick when you get to this clinic, you will be by the time you leave." So I've included pictures I took at this fascinating place.

Well, that's about all the excitement to report for now! Sometimes being here just makes me thankful that I'm even alive! :) You sure learn to appreciate small little things--like gloves, a blanket, an umbrella, warm food, and friends to share each other's joys and burdens...