On Day 12, when I woke up, my pain in my throat was even worse, so I decided to decline the luncheon invitation from Wang Xin and try to make a doctor's appointment. I found Shanghai East International Hospital on Google, and they answered the phone in English. The receptionist told me I could come in at 10 am. Oddly enough, both Wang Xin and Carol called regarding my illness, and Carol volunteered (or perhaps she was coerced?) to take us to the doctor's. It was a long cab ride on the freeway, and when we got there, we saw HUGE lines of people at the "Registration and Cashier" area. So when we got to the front, they claimed that they had no record of my appointment, and the people behind me were yelling (in Chinese, which was somewhat scary!) for us to leave. So we went to the information desk. Fortunately, about this time, I noticed that the receptionist had called and asked why I hadn't come in. I told her that I was told there was no record of my appointment, but she informed me that I went to the wrong place. All we had to do was literally turn in corner, and we found ourselves at this neat, clean, serene, and empty office. It was like discovering heaven after the earlier fiasco. They took me right away (didn't even weigh me!), and I was seen by one Dr. Rose--a very friendly 29-year-old British physician who had also lived in Australia. We chatted quite a bit; he was extremely affable. Also, it was nice to actually speak in English for awhile!!
I didn't do much after I came home other than some class prep. Leftovers for dinner. We tried to order pizza online but couldn't figure how to do so. One thing I am learning on this journey so far is the importance of KNOWING THE LANGUAGE. Literacy truly is power.
Today, Day 13, was more productive. Kerry and I went to SISU in order to get my ID Card. We made it on the bus okay, but promptly got lost soon after we got off the bus. A young Chinese man pointed me in the right direction (thank you, whoever you are!), and we located a river that leads to the campus. We were soaked with sweat by this point--it was about 94 degrees today--and were lead into a small room with couches. The Director of International Studies came in for awhile and talked to us both, which was somewhat unanticipated--it felt a bit like an interview. However, she eventually departed and were given some key information about orientation and such. I met several nice people in the office: Alex, an American who's been there ten years; Christine, another professor; and Guillermo, a Spanish instructor. It made me feel more connected to the place.
When we went to Room 109 in the Admin. Building, we noticed a long line of students waiting to get their cards. We waited for about 20 minutes in the interminable hear, and then a young man came up to me and said, "Teacher?" I nodded, and then all of a sudden I was thrust into the loud, chaotic office, where they eventually took my picture and got me my card.
To reward ourselves from that experience, Kerry and I went to the Ciao Cafe, a nice cafe near the university that Carol had introduced us to. We each got a thin-crust pizza, so we could take home leftovers: only about $22 for two (really nice) pizzas here. After eating, we eventually procured a cab (although five of them flew by us before someone finally stopped, which worried me a bit).
We just chilled after we arrived home: did laundry, class prep, and such. We had grocery successfully delivered, which was kind of fun! Now we have all kinds of veggies and meats! No dairy though--WAY too pricey here. They even gave us extra veggies: eggplants, carrots, cucumbers, and even (yuck) peppers. But it's the thought that counts.
Tomorrow--first day of class...wish me luck!
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