Skip to main content

Friday Update: 05/30/08


Oh joy of joys...I was finally able to take a HOT shower this morning!!! The past few mornings it has only been lukewarm, and by lukewarm I mean to say that it is BARELY not freezing. Apparently they only have hot water during certain hours of the day, and we haven't been able to see a pattern of when they have it on or off...so it's a crap shoot. I was prepared to wait a little longer for the hot water to come on, but when I went to wash my hands and felt the warm water I grabbed my stuff and quick hopped in the shower. They also have times during the day when they turn the water off completely, and we've also not seen a pattern there...just went to wash my hands and capooey...no water. They also did turn the air conditioner on to the building, but they've only been running it from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM...after that, you just get a fan blowing room air. AND they only run it Monday through Friday...so on the weekends you're screwed! Thankfully, we only have one left! Today is nice out, and we have the window open and are getting a nice breeze, so no need for the AC. Yesterday it was warmer and so windy that having the windows open you could almost feel the grit and grime blowing through. It is so incredibly dusty here...and DIRTY. This picture was taken out the window near the hospital...not sure what this area is, a dumping ground of some sorts...but people walk through it all the time on their way to different parts of the hospital.
I'm telling ya, it's a WHOLE different world.

Today Matt had his last cupping and massage treatments. On Saturdays they only do the herbal soaks and morning acupuncture, along with exercise. I'm going to take the camera tomorrow and try to get more pictures of Matt with different doctors and other patients. Today we said good-bye to Edmond and Barbara, the Polish couple Matt had spent some time with. I think we are the next to leave, along with Linda (next door) on Sunday.
I've been trying to work through the details of how we will settle up with the hospital, and while I'm sure it will all work itself out, it is frustratingly unorganized as usual. China is also a cash society, meaning they expect you to have wads of cash on you to pay bills etc...and I remember being cornered the last time I went to leave by the restaurant people, wanting me to pay for my food for the week. And naturally, no one had told me that I would need to do this. So, this time I am trying to be prepared. I have withdrawn money twice from the ATM at the bank (the one they installed here in the hospital is not for us to use, of course) and I'm hoping I will have enough cash to pay our final hospital bill and be done with it.

Matt and I were talking about how happy we will be to land in Chicago and be back to the USA!! While it has been an experience, and interesting to see this place...we are so ready to get back to the fresh, clean air of Iowa...and to be surrounded by voices speaking our own language. You simply cannot know how unnerving it is to be surrounded by others speaking a language you can't even begin to understand, while they look at you, point, laugh, and talk, talk, talk...until you've been around it. It's not the most pleasant feeling. I feel so ready to get back home after just a few days, I can't imagine how exited Matt is!


I put a few more videos online at YouTube.com today...one of the scene out the gym window and another of Matt's morning acupuncture.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Carrie Anne - The Beginning of the Story

So, I’ve been trying to sort out how to start this story. It’s been difficult to articulate. Difficult to pick which details to share, and which to hold close. But it’s a story too good, too beautiful, not to share – so here goes! When Matt and I first became parents, we thought our family was complete. We envisioned raising Ethan surrounded by loving friends and family – just the two of us. Given all that we had gone through to finally become parents, we felt content with just the one child. The most adorable boy in the whole wide world. Our Ethan was the apple of our eyes – the most amazing gift. We marveled at all of his accomplishments, soaked up all his love and personality, and celebrated the joy of parenthood at every exhausting, wonderful turn. Along the way, we’ve built a strong and loving relationship with Ethan’s birthmother. We visit yearly, and stay in close contact with pictures, emails, and texts. I have attempted to describe my feelings for her many times over the
1 comment
Read more

I may as well tell you...

I had a miscarriage. I’ve debated for weeks whether or not to acknowledge it publicly. It’s such a personal thing…and this is such a public medium. But a few months have gone by and I’m no closer to feeling ok about it and truly nothing else on my mind really compares, so here I am, letting the world in on my secret. Over the past few weeks I’ve found very little comfort in the fact that only a small handful of people know about the miscarriage. It became nearly unbearable this week, during all our wonderful family Christmas celebrations. Being surrounded by so many people who love me and support me and have no idea how my heart has been broken – it’s a lonely place to be. Not that I would want them all to bombard me with pity or questions or sad looks in their eyes – I realize I can’t have it both ways. But a little acknowledgement goes a long way and I simply can’t ignore or deny the fact that something major happened in my life and impacted me, impacts me still.   It was a warm
4 comments
Read more

WE'RE ADOPTING!!

Bah! I said it…er wrote it…out loud. There it is, in black and white for the world to see. (Pause for a drink and a breath) Matt and I are in the very early stages of planning to adopt. We have had a few meetings with an adoption agency, we are gathering the necessary information, and we are making plans to get this ball officially rolling SOON. It has been a very long and winding road to get us to this point, and honestly I never thought we’d get here. Adoption isn’t what we started out hoping for. It isn’t where we thought we’d end up. But here we are – gearing up for what will surely be a life-changing experience for us with hearts full of hope and excitement. The topic of adoption has come up in the past, but we quickly dismissed it for one reason or another. Matt and I have had our fair share of insecurities about whether or not adoption would be a good option for us. Who would look at our family profile and pick us?? It was a burning question that we probably still have
5 comments
Read more