Our first day back from the 3 Gorges visit was low key for the most part.We had an economics class in the morning that dealt with China’s economy and where it is lacking, where it is excelling, and where it needs a boost. We had a pretty lively discussion in class comparing what is happening in China’s economy with the things happening back home in the US economy. The teacher was Mr. Wrong Qian and he was a little nervous in the first hour with us, but loosened up and jumped in with the discussion during the second hour. Dr. Kung appointed John and I to speak at the closing ceremony here at Hubei University next Tuesday...John will do most of the speaking and I'll be working on the power point for the presentation.
I think the boat ride (the heat, and the food, and all other things combined) took its toll on me. Montezuma’s Revenge finally crossed the ocean and found me. Not a fun thing!!! I went to class in the afternoon after working on China lesson plans (part of my agreement to come here was to create 5 lesson plans from what I’ve learned here) during lunch and our rest period. I made it through the calligraphy class which was great and I enjoyed it very much…but I felt pretty rough by the end of the class. (you can see me sweating in the pictures…with what was probably a low fever)…so I probably should have taken a nap instead of working on the lesson plans. Anyway…I made it back to the room and crashed…I skipped the evening out to the BUND down at the river front here, and slept all the way through the first class on Tuesday. I got up and go ready for the afternoon class which was our second calligraphy class. When I got there Sharon one of the teachers from Memphis told me she was waiting on one of our student helpers, Wendy to take her to the campus clinic, hopefully to get an IV to help re-hydrate from all the visits to the restroom (thank goodness we don’t have the TYPICAL “squatters” in our rooms at the hotel…but they are everywhere else….not fun…but funny). We go to the clinic and wow…wow…wow…what an experience. 
(You can see the sickness setting in, in my eyes)
We get there and the sign on the door says 2:30-5:30pm OPEN…it was 2:45 and they weren’t going to be back until 3:00. So we are standing around waiting in the heat of the lobby…when a security guard comes up and tells Wendy something…we thought he was going to tell us we couldn’t be in that part of the building and to go back out to the front lobby and wait….NOPE. He had told Wendy that we could go down to his room where he lived and sit in there and wait, because it had an air conditioner and fan. Wow. That is such the Chinese way…take care of their guests.
So at 3pm everyone in the waiting room starts moving around, Wendy takes us over to a window where we pay 1.6 yuan for the two of us to get a ticket to see the doctor. We then go up stairs to a room with about 6 small cubicles on one side of the small room (almost like a small hallway) and on the other side facing the opening of the cubicles are seats for people waiting to see a doctor, doctors are in the cubicles. There are four doctors there when we arrive. We take turns seeing the doctor one at a time, but everyone in the room can hear and see what the doctor is doing…including the examining table at the end of the room. Sharon has to get up on the table and all the sudden everyone in the room is watching her…no privacy. Later when it is my turn they put me up on the table the room really starts watching as they undo my belt and pull my pants down a little bit, because they are sure that my symptoms some how mean I have an appendicitis and they are pushing and shoving on my abdomen. Sharon meanwhile had gone down to pay for a specimen cup to get a stool sample…yes she paid for it…then I guess because of all the pressure…she couldn't um…perform…so she got to come back up with her 2 yuan EMPTY cup and watch everyone watching me be examined. When it was all said and done (now remember she and I pretty much have the same symptoms) she is told to take some pills, and they say I have an appendicitis! Sheeeesh. Something was certainly lost in translation. So we went downstairs, got our pills (mine ended up being some sort of antibiotic, which is already working I can tell) and got out of there before I became the American guinea pig! Dr. Kung, and Minnie, as well as Alexis all came by to check on me and see how I was doing... So let’s hope this will be the last time I need to visit the Chinese hospital. I won’t complain about American medicine again.
After the antibiotic started kicking in I was ready to go eat...so Sharon, Ashley, and I caught the bus and headed to Pizza Hut...the same Chinese food over and over again has finally taken its toll. We get there and Matt and Kevin (one of our little Hubei University students that has sort of become our mascot on the trip) are there so we eat with them. We had a good time. Matt and I caught a cab back for 4 yuan (that's less than a dollar...something like $.75) and I headed to the room to take it easy....and let my meds work their wonder. Sharon and Ashley went with Kevin to meet another part of our group at a massage parlor. Let's hope tomorrow I'm feeling more like myself.
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