How to Prevent H1N1 (Chinese Style)

Not a whole lot happened today. It was really cold again, but I'm starting not to notice anymore! I taught six hours of class, and they were pretty good. I've decided to ditch the textbook for a while and go back to writing my own lessons, because they provide better, deeper conversations. Lately we've been talking about character and morals. It's actually been really interesting and thought-provoking for them.

For lunch I went out with three students, Ashley, Karen, and Karin. Yes, Karen and Karin are best friends and apparently have found the need to have nearly identical names. We went to the student cafeteria to eat together. We chatted a little, but we were mostly shivering too much.

Afterwards I visited their dorm room, because my students like to invite me to their "homes." Every time I go to my students' dorms, I always think about how American dorm life is like living in a palace. Here they live four to eight girls to a very small room with concrete floors.

When they were walking me out of the building, I walked by a communal bathroom, which didn't have any soap, like usual. However, people had just finished painting the foyer walls with whitewash, masking the streaks of black and spots of water damage. I asked the girls why the people were painting, expecting them to say, "To make it look nicer." But, no. They gave me an answer that surprised me, even though I've been living in China for a while now and feel rather immune to surprises.

Very seriously they told me the school was painting to "prevent H1N1." Did I hear correctly? I asked them the same question again. And again they repeated, "It is to prevent H1N1. The paint makes everything cleaner." Wow. I could only look at them in complete disbelief. Then we said goodbye.

Usually I try not to judge the customs or culture in China, but this I will say is incorrect. Painting a wall does not prevent sickness anymore than painting your hands. Where is the soap? You can't find it here. Where are the people covering their mouths when they cough? You don't see it here.

I guess if H1N1 spreads to our campus, which it already has, then the officials will get in trouble, because they did not stop it. So if they were trying to be proactive, which must even include painting walls to ward off swine flu, then they won't get in trouble with the higher-ups.

Sometimes I just have to smile at the things people believe - like it is bad to drink water after a meal (I was informed of that by Karin after lunch), that exercising will help you grow taller (even if you are already 30 years old), and that rubbing your earlobes will help heal a burn somewhere else on your body.

That's all for today! I'll be off painting my bedroom...

(I've included a picture of a cute couple in my class - Karma and Kasha. They were sharing gloves and mittens today).