Health Check or Close Encounters of the Chinese Kind

I just got back from the health check. That was a pretty crazy experience. We all filed into a classroom around 8:15, and waited for the doctors to arrive, but they got stuck in really bad traffic because of the rain. Luckily, the rain stopped completely right when it was time to leave the apartment, although it has just started back up again. Parts of the campus were totally flooded, and there was even water flowing out of some of the buildings. Helen described it as “a heavy rain” so I assume that it was a little more than just a normal rainstorm around here.

While we waited for the doctors, we got to fill out even more forms, and had to make more copies of our passport picture page and our visas. We were told we would need three of each, but it turns out that we needed ten. Who knew. With all of the delay, we didn’t get started until around 9:30, and I was starving. First, we had to take a picture (yes, they wanted more official photos of us) and then have a blood drawn. After that, we were herded onto a makeshift health lab on a bus. One station was an ultra-sound, and I am pretty sure they were checking my kidneys. They also did an EKG at that station. I could not stop laughing. The woman kept telling me “No move” and I just started laughing harder. The second station looked like it might be a mammogram machine, but it turns out that it was just a chest X-ray. The final station was vision and heart rate. Needless to say, my heart rate was a little higher than normal, but with my new glasses my vision was fine. By the time they were done poking and prodding, I was pretty glad to get off the bus. Upon exiting the bus, we were given warm milk and cake with what appeared to be leprosy for breakfast.

It really wasn't that bad. Well, the milk was pretty bad. . .

We go to lunch in about an hour, and then do some IT work later, where we get user names for the school system, and learn how to use the technology in the classroom and submit grades online. Hopefully, they will be able to help me get online as well. It has been hard not having internet, since it is the most convenient way to communicate with a mass of people about what is going on in my life.