So the second day in Hangzhou, I went to the hospital. But before I tell you why, let me tell you about breakfast!
Haha, it looks like food will be a hot topic for this blog. Anyway, I had some great 肉包子 (meat buns) and 豆浆 (soy milk) for breakfast today. Chinese soy milk isn't the stuff that you get in the fridge at Wawa—it's freshly squeezed (like orange juice, but not) and it's served really hot. You can either have it sweet (good choice) or sour (bad choice). The sweet version just has sugar added to it; the sour version has soy sauce, fried dough, and chives added to it. Gross.
Because standards of hygiene in China and the U.S. aren't exactly the same, it's difficult to determine whether or not to eat at a street stand. Not many are clean. We were fortunate enough to find one that was part of a chain of breakfast restaurants which is known for good service. Still, I realized that it's nice to eat earlier than the other customers—that way, I know that my chopsticks and bowls weren't washed in some grimy, bacteria-thriving solution in the sink. The early bird doesn't get the worm(s).
Haha, it looks like food will be a hot topic for this blog. Anyway, I had some great 肉包子 (meat buns) and 豆浆 (soy milk) for breakfast today. Chinese soy milk isn't the stuff that you get in the fridge at Wawa—it's freshly squeezed (like orange juice, but not) and it's served really hot. You can either have it sweet (good choice) or sour (bad choice). The sweet version just has sugar added to it; the sour version has soy sauce, fried dough, and chives added to it. Gross.
Because standards of hygiene in China and the U.S. aren't exactly the same, it's difficult to determine whether or not to eat at a street stand. Not many are clean. We were fortunate enough to find one that was part of a chain of breakfast restaurants which is known for good service. Still, I realized that it's nice to eat earlier than the other customers—that way, I know that my chopsticks and bowls weren't washed in some grimy, bacteria-thriving solution in the sink. The early bird doesn't get the worm(s).
Oh yeah, this guy had sweet reading glasses. You do what you gotta do to keep up with the news.
I brought my camera around with me on the second day. I really regretted not being able to take pictures the day before—the paths around the lake are right at sea (lake?) level, and the scenery is amazing. I also wanted to get the crowds doing tai chi in the morning and the slow-dancing class of old couples by the lake, but we drove by too fast.
Hangzhou, like pretty much everything else—the U.S.'s human rights policy, public opinion of Paris Hilton, my feelings towards working out—is a clash of opposites. It's full of beautiful gardens, yet at the same time, the skyline is full of skyscrapers. The city isn't set up like New York City, with Central Park and then some trees here and there—the gardens are EVERYWHERE.
So, about the hospital! Don't worry, this trip was planned. My grandmother is growing old, so she had to make the two-hour trip to Hangzhou to see a specialist at the hospital. I've never been to an American hospital except to go to the ER, so I don't know how they really work. But this is how they run hospital service here: the front desk opens at 7:00 am. You line up to get a ticket from the front desk, and your ticket has your number for a certain department. It's like a deli, except the lines are huge. The desk attendants are extremely efficient, though—everything in China is based on mass consumption.
The line in front of us.
The line remaining when we left.
We had gotten there around 6:30 to wait in line, and we got to see the doctor at 8:00. Then we had to go to testing, where we waited for a while, and then we saw the doctor again at 2:00. I think we left the hospital around 5:00 pm, and made the two-hour trek to Jinhua, where I am now.
Oh, one final note—in line with the whole "heaven on Earth" thing, Hangzhou is supposed to have the prettiest girls in all of China.
I have very low expectations for the rest of the country.
I brought my camera around with me on the second day. I really regretted not being able to take pictures the day before—the paths around the lake are right at sea (lake?) level, and the scenery is amazing. I also wanted to get the crowds doing tai chi in the morning and the slow-dancing class of old couples by the lake, but we drove by too fast.
Hangzhou, like pretty much everything else—the U.S.'s human rights policy, public opinion of Paris Hilton, my feelings towards working out—is a clash of opposites. It's full of beautiful gardens, yet at the same time, the skyline is full of skyscrapers. The city isn't set up like New York City, with Central Park and then some trees here and there—the gardens are EVERYWHERE.
So, about the hospital! Don't worry, this trip was planned. My grandmother is growing old, so she had to make the two-hour trip to Hangzhou to see a specialist at the hospital. I've never been to an American hospital except to go to the ER, so I don't know how they really work. But this is how they run hospital service here: the front desk opens at 7:00 am. You line up to get a ticket from the front desk, and your ticket has your number for a certain department. It's like a deli, except the lines are huge. The desk attendants are extremely efficient, though—everything in China is based on mass consumption.
The line in front of us.
The line remaining when we left.
We had gotten there around 6:30 to wait in line, and we got to see the doctor at 8:00. Then we had to go to testing, where we waited for a while, and then we saw the doctor again at 2:00. I think we left the hospital around 5:00 pm, and made the two-hour trek to Jinhua, where I am now.
Oh, one final note—in line with the whole "heaven on Earth" thing, Hangzhou is supposed to have the prettiest girls in all of China.
I have very low expectations for the rest of the country.
3 comments:
This guy at my lab today was eating meat buns! With chopsticks. However, he did not appear to have soy milk, of either variety. Sad news.
haha this is hilarious. are you coming to shanghai this summer? you better. - Jiaona
OMG i just realized that I think I would have been in Hangzhou at the same time as you if i had done cse....
and way to be a drama queen with your title haha
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