I began my gym membership this past week. The place is fairly nice and well-lit, unlike most “jungle gyms” in China. A cultural incident that merely reinforces something I’ve experienced over the past five years is the “shamelessness” of women to see nude men. Now, at my gym, there is no door to one of the guys’ locker rooms – where my locker is located. It’s literally a room at the end of a long hall where anyone could walk into unknowingly – or knowingly for that matter!

I was in need of a change of locker, so I got #66 (on the top) rather than #87 (in the middle) because, according to Coach Zhou, the top lockers are nicer. Anywho, one of the old ladies who works at the gym – like with general cleaning, checking gym membership cards when people walk in, and overall simple “presence” at the gym counter – walked me back to the locker room to change lockers. She simply walked in, not checking to see if anyone was in their skivvies, and switched lockers for me. I think she’s got to be the owner’s mother or something for her to be able do this.

But this isn’t the first time I’ve encountered this phenomenon. When I am going to bathroom in a public restroom, it’s common for cleaning ladies to simply come in the bathroom and begin cleaning. It’s not a privacy issue (like in America) but a practical one: “I need to clean, so I’m coming in.” If people are pooping, they’re pooping. If people are changing, they’re changing. If people are naked, they’re naked. All you have to do is take an overnight train ride, and you’d COMPLETELY understand all this!

My teammate, Anthony, sent me the links to the videos below. The first is awesome, and the second is absolutely hilarious!!! You gotta see them…

First video: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzQxMTY=.html

Second video: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/CNirp7FhTtg

Enjoy!!!

Last Thursday found me headed back to Beijing. I had a follow-up appointment to the one that I had scheduled the week before. Dr. Yanzani, an Australian, saw me. He commented on the need to monitor my blood pressure as the key indicator to future problems. Tests results from the summer showed an elevated level of possible inflammation of my liver. He thought perhaps I had extra iron in the body or Hepatitis. Both tested negative. However, I did end up having an ultrasound of my liver. Another new experience to my list of many.

On Saturday, I had an appointment to have an echocardiogram, which checked out normal save a small anomaly in the size of the left-side of my heart. The specialists I saw (yes, Dr. #3) indicated there was no need to wear the 24-hour heart monitor and that I should just monitor my own blood pressure. He also believed that the numbness was somewhat of a fluke given all the tests I submitted to. Basically, after all of the visits and tests, there seems to be nothing medically wrong, save the warning of a slightly higher than normal blood pressure. I truly know WHO was involved in this, and I truly know the One who saved me during this time.

This is my testimony, and I’m sticking to it!!!

Last Saturday, I felt slightly “under the weather”. I went to bed with a sore throat, thinking nothing of it. The weather in Siping was getting colder, and, with changes in weather, I often get some sort of sore throat/cold going on. The sore throat was worse on Sunday, but, again, I felt fine.

I woke up Monday morning to numbness in my left hand. I had a sore back that night, so I thought it was just the way I slept. The numbness gradually spread to my feet and face (both on the left side). I became a little concerned. I was looking up information online in regards to these symptom, but there was a ton of stuff on it. I told Jennifer & Daren about it; they gave me some medicine, some advice to just monitor it, and watched out for me.

It was Tuesday morning that the numbness persisted – not any stronger than Monday – and, I found myself calling a doctor with SOS in Beijing. The doctor said I should take a shower, a couple of Ibuprofens, and rest for 3-4 hours then call back. It was while I was in the shower that I noticed the numbness had spread to my lower back, abdomen, and groin (again, all on the left side). I called SOS back, and they recommended that I go to a hospital in Siping.

Steve, one of the foreign affairs officers in my school, took me. This was my first experience in a Chinese hospital, and I was a little freaked out, but Steve was great, always willing to give me a correct translation, explaining all of my questioning, and doing an A+ job at helping me out. I had a CT scan and an ultrasound. The neurologists that I saw said I had high blood pressure (which I had never experienced before) and recommended a couple of medicines that are used traditionally in China. I began taking them and over the next 24 hours, I felt better with the numbness slowly going away (but not completely).

It was during the next day (on Wednesday) that I received a call from an SOS doctor in America who had been looking over my case. He recommended a trip to Beijing, have some extra tests done, and to see a doctor who speaks English and perhaps could give a secondary diagnosis. So, by Friday evening, I had booked a flight for me and a friend to go to Beijing, reserved a hotel room in Beijing, secured a doctor’s appointment for Saturday, and headed out.

At Beijing United Family Hospital, I saw Dr. Hilka, a sweet and funny German woman. I explained my symptoms, and she checked me out. I gave her the names of the Chinese medicines and showed her all of the test results that were done in Siping. After further exploration of my symptoms and performing rudimentary neurological testing, she thought it necessary that I have some blood drawn for some tests and to submit to an EKG. Blood was drawn, the EKG was done, and I headed out for some lunch awaiting the results.

When I returned after a couple of hours, Dr. Hilka told me that nothing was conclusive as to my problem. She mentioned that I may possibly have had a TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack), but more tests were needed. I did have high blood pressure – that was comparable to the blood pressure tests done in Siping – that would be handled and controlled, at least temporarily by some blood thinners to be taken daily. Blood tests showed normal in many key areas, like white blood cells, triglycerides, glucose, and cholesterol, but the TIA was not ruled out. I will need to return to Beijing next week for an echocardiogram and have a 24-hour period of blood pressure testing with a brace on my arm. As of now, that is where I am. Thank you in advance for remembering me.

Princess starts semester with 19 suitcases - and two guides (September 8, 2009, Shanghai Daily)
A university freshman from an apparently wealthy family has stunned her fellow students by bringing along 19 suitcases to the campus plus two professional tourist guides. Her actions have sparked online discussion about luxuries enjoyed by wealthy families, a report said in today's Xinmin Evening News. The student's parents drove a luxury limousine to send her to college in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, to register for the new semester on September 2, the report said. The family is from east China's Zhejiang Province, according to the girl's tutor.

Suicide remains top killer of young Chinese (September 4, 2009, Shanghai Daily)
Suicide remains the top killer of young Chinese aged between 15 and 34, according to a Beijing health official. China reports a high suicide rate with 2.25 million people attempting to commit suicide every year. About 250,000 are successful, said Deng Xiaohong, vice director of Beijing Health Bureau, citing research by China Diseases Prevention and Control center and Huilongguan Hospital. Deng made his remarks yesterday to coincide with the 7th World Suicide Prevention Day, today's Chongqing Evening News reported. The research found suicide is the fifth-largest cause of death in China. For every 100,000 people, 22.23 had tried to commit suicide.

Student suicide survey shock (September 11, 2009, Shanghai Daily)
Almost one in four students has thought of suicide, according to a survey released yesterday at a seminar in Yangpu District to mark the seventh World Suicide Prevention Day. Suicide has becoming the prime cause of death among 15 to 34-year-olds with students accounting for a large proportion of the total, experts said. The thought of killing themselves had occurred to about 24.39 percent students while 15.23 percent had taken suicide into serious consideration, according to the study by the Children's Hospital of Fudan University and local education authorities. Of the 2,500-plus students questioned, 2.85 percent had planned how to commit suicide and 1.71 percent students had tried but failed.

Confucian family tree branches out (September 24, 2009, Xinhua)
CHINA celebrated the completion of the first full revision of its philosopher Confucius' family tree in 72 years at his birthplace Qufu City, east China's Shandong Province yesterday, three days before his "2,560th birthday." Kong Deyong, a 77th-generation descendant of the revered Chinese philosopher, disclosed the family tree covered with red silk at 9am. The family tree has 43,000 pages and is bound in 80 books. It records all 83 generations of Confucius' offspring of more than 2 million people and is believed to be the biggest in the world, Kong said. The new list, which includes minorities, overseas and female descendants for the first time, added more than 1.4 million names than the previous revision in 1937, said Kong Dewei, head of the family tree editorial office.

And in honor of Chinese 60th Anniversary on October 1st, check this out.