The semester is winding down. I finished my 6 classes at the main school yesterday, and I will finish some of my classes at the university today. There are a couple of straggler classes, so I'll be teaching a little the next couple of weekends, but since I've already piloted the lessons this weekend there will be no more lesson prep.
My weekday kindergarten classes at the new school will continue as usual, but I should have a one week break before summer session begins.
Tomorrow I will finally get out of Jinan, yay! I will get up early to go to Beijing with a colleague; we need to leave here at 5:45 to get to the train station on time. I learned how and where to buy the long distance train ticket, now I will get to travel too. Once I've done it with help I'll feel more confident about going it on my own; in fact, I'll have to, because I'm staying in Beijing a day longer than she is. I'll come home on Tuesday evening and should have new pics and stories.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
A weekend off, sorta
Our normal Saturday and Sunday classes have been moved to Monday and Tuesday this week because of something or other to do with the public school schedule. This gives me a MUCH needed respite for two days. This afternoon I decided to go ahead and try to get at least one lesson prepared, so that I won't have so many to do tomorrow. Well, I got two lessons prepared, go me!
As for the health, the cough is still a problem, still taking antibiotics, it may come to a hospital visit with a mystery IV yet. Not happy about this at all, but I am trying to rest as much as I can for these two days. I feel a bit better today, but that may be because I'm staying quiet.
This morning I decided to go to the supermarket since it was still cool outside, I knew once it got hot I wouldn't feel up to it. I thought that 9:00am would be a pretty quiet time there - WRONG! The whole upper floor was a madhouse. People were shouting on loudspeakers in the produce section, advertising heaven knows what. There were a lot more things laid out in the produce section and the fish section than I usually see, which makes me wonder if it's like this every morning; maybe I'm just getting the day's dregs when I shop in the afternoon. Along both sides of the floor were lines that stretched from one end to the other; I have no idea what the people were waiting for, but it must have been something worth waiting for, as the lines didn't appear to be moving at all.
I bought some Asian pears, because two Chinese colleagues have recommended cooked pears as a food to help a cough. I peeled them and boiled them with a little honey, and they were so delicious that even if it doesn't help the cough it was worth the trouble. Next time I will use less honey, because the liquid, which I figured I had better drink to get all of the pear-y goodness, was much too sweet.
I read for a long time today, which is soooooooooo nice, since I haven't had much time for it lately. Now it's almost 7:00pm; I think I'll read just a little more and when it gets too dark to read by natural light, I'll sleep.
As for the health, the cough is still a problem, still taking antibiotics, it may come to a hospital visit with a mystery IV yet. Not happy about this at all, but I am trying to rest as much as I can for these two days. I feel a bit better today, but that may be because I'm staying quiet.
This morning I decided to go to the supermarket since it was still cool outside, I knew once it got hot I wouldn't feel up to it. I thought that 9:00am would be a pretty quiet time there - WRONG! The whole upper floor was a madhouse. People were shouting on loudspeakers in the produce section, advertising heaven knows what. There were a lot more things laid out in the produce section and the fish section than I usually see, which makes me wonder if it's like this every morning; maybe I'm just getting the day's dregs when I shop in the afternoon. Along both sides of the floor were lines that stretched from one end to the other; I have no idea what the people were waiting for, but it must have been something worth waiting for, as the lines didn't appear to be moving at all.
I bought some Asian pears, because two Chinese colleagues have recommended cooked pears as a food to help a cough. I peeled them and boiled them with a little honey, and they were so delicious that even if it doesn't help the cough it was worth the trouble. Next time I will use less honey, because the liquid, which I figured I had better drink to get all of the pear-y goodness, was much too sweet.
I read for a long time today, which is soooooooooo nice, since I haven't had much time for it lately. Now it's almost 7:00pm; I think I'll read just a little more and when it gets too dark to read by natural light, I'll sleep.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Prayer request
Please send me some prayer power.
I'm very concerned about my health. I felt better for a few days, but now the cough has dropped so low in my chest that it is frightening, and the phlegmy vibration of it makes me feel as if I will throw up. I have had many bouts with bronchitis in my life, but this feels worse and to be honest, I'm afraid.
Yesterday I began another course of the antibiotic Azithromycin. I've looked up the drug and the information available seems to indicate that a 5 day course is normal for Azithromycin, but the 250mg that the package directs is considered a "pediatric" dosage; apparently the normal adult dosage is 500-2000mg, so this time I am doubling the amount to 500mg per day.
This self treatment is scary, but I found the hospitals in Japan quite horrid, and haven't any reason to think they will be better here (the clinic where I got my physical for the visa was completely unsanitary). Apparently, just as in Japan, one is expected not to question the doctors at all. A number of colleagues, both Chinese and non-Chinese, have gone to the doctor with bad cold symptoms and were given an IV... and to a one, they have no idea what the IV contained! One colleague had one and they missed a vein and her hand swelled up grotesquely for days.
As long as I can still breathe, self-treatment seems preferable to that. And, of course, lots of prayer.
Today, as the icing on the cake, I have a bad case of diarrhea; most likely a side effect of the Azithromycin. I've taken some medicine, but am still waiting for it to take effect, so I phoned the school. It's an hour's bus ride to the school where I teach on weeknights - that is just not possible with diarrhea. It took me a couple of tries to convey this clearly enough, but once they understood, they said they would phone the parents and reschedule tonight's classes to tomorrow night.
I hope all of you are feeling better than I am right now. Take care and God bless.
I'm very concerned about my health. I felt better for a few days, but now the cough has dropped so low in my chest that it is frightening, and the phlegmy vibration of it makes me feel as if I will throw up. I have had many bouts with bronchitis in my life, but this feels worse and to be honest, I'm afraid.
Yesterday I began another course of the antibiotic Azithromycin. I've looked up the drug and the information available seems to indicate that a 5 day course is normal for Azithromycin, but the 250mg that the package directs is considered a "pediatric" dosage; apparently the normal adult dosage is 500-2000mg, so this time I am doubling the amount to 500mg per day.
This self treatment is scary, but I found the hospitals in Japan quite horrid, and haven't any reason to think they will be better here (the clinic where I got my physical for the visa was completely unsanitary). Apparently, just as in Japan, one is expected not to question the doctors at all. A number of colleagues, both Chinese and non-Chinese, have gone to the doctor with bad cold symptoms and were given an IV... and to a one, they have no idea what the IV contained! One colleague had one and they missed a vein and her hand swelled up grotesquely for days.
As long as I can still breathe, self-treatment seems preferable to that. And, of course, lots of prayer.
Today, as the icing on the cake, I have a bad case of diarrhea; most likely a side effect of the Azithromycin. I've taken some medicine, but am still waiting for it to take effect, so I phoned the school. It's an hour's bus ride to the school where I teach on weeknights - that is just not possible with diarrhea. It took me a couple of tries to convey this clearly enough, but once they understood, they said they would phone the parents and reschedule tonight's classes to tomorrow night.
I hope all of you are feeling better than I am right now. Take care and God bless.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)