Still Here

Hi everyone! Sorry it's been so long since the last entry. We went home to Ottawa for 3 weeks over Chinese New Year and then came back to teach one more semester here. I'll share some pictures from our trip in a later entry but updates first.

We enjoyed our trip home very much. Staying at my parents' had the advantage of good food that we were missing here in Jinan. Amazingly, the food here in the North is very different than what I grew up with. Who would have known?

Back in Ottawa, we were brutally reminded of what "winter" felt like. Brrrrr. I knew there was a good reason that we are living abroad! Thank goodness we had my dad's car or else we would have been housebound thanks to the bus strike in Ottawa. We visited with family and friends, did a bit of shopping and just soaked the clean air. It was a nice change to gain our total independence back. We were able to do everything ourselves. Yay!

Making two trips in less than a month was interesting. Jet lag was not as bad as the first time we did it last year. Rob joined us for the return trip and the three of us made the most of our long journey. After experiencing these mega long flights, the Ottawa to Vancouver portion was a snap. While we waited for our connection to Beijing, we took advantage of the last minute shopping opportunities at the airport. Together, we bought Timbits (ahhhh, the last ones for awhile so they were savoured!), Canadiana souvenirs for gifts and we stocked up on English magazines.

Life has fallen back into a rhythm now that we're finishing our fourth week of classes. Since we've been home, Don and I have both had to go to the hospital. No, it wasn't as bad as it sounds. Their medical system is different here. Instead of doctors' offices and clinics, your first stop whenever you don't feel well is the hospital. The quality of the hospital you go to depends upon your ability to pay. Even going to the best hospital in town, it was an experience. The hospital is crowded, you have no privacy and you pay as you do everything. You pay to register as a patient. You pay to buy a booklet (since neither of us had one yet) that records your medical visits history. You pay to get a blood test and any other procedures. Luckily, in our terms, it was extremely cheap. The medicines were also very reasonable. Guess that was the trade off for people (other patients and medical students or other employees) standing all around as you discuss your symptoms with the doctor. There was, of course, more pushing and shoving here too.

While that experience was not too bad, I hope not to report on any more doctor's visits. It's never fun to be ill but really no fun when you can't communicate well with the doctor. Thank goodness for friends to interpret! So anyway, it seems that I'm anemic and because I opted for a less invasive treatment I'm going to be taking it easy for a couple of months. I've had to ask the school to reschedule my classes to a building that is closer to the apartment. I get tired more easily now so walking far for all of my classes would have done me in.

As for Don's adventure to the dentist, I'll let him fill you in on that. Ha ha.

J xo