Mishap in Kaohsiung

It's been awhile since my last blog and my apologies. It's been a bit crazy. A a few days ago, while riding my bike to school on Saturday morning, I was hit by a scooter while crossing the road. I saw him in the distance but there was no other traffic so started to cross to get into the school entrance. The problem was that the scooter driver was going much faster than I thought and instead of staying in the scooter lane he came around into the road to pass me. I'm not sure why (if he wasn't paying attention or what) but he was going way too fast and couldn't change his course. I was hit head-on and went flying. I landed on my right shoulder and ended up with a broken collarbone.

It all happened so fast. I got up, moved my bike to the side of road and did a body check. I knew right away that I was hurt...I couldn't move my arm and the pain was excruciating. The scooter driver was yelling at me in Chinese while I stood there when the security guard for the school came to check on me. I ended up being taken to the hospital by ambulance with one of the the KAS parents staying with me to help.

Something like this happening is bad enough but when you don't speak the language it makes it all much more challenging. How can I explain what hurts? How do I explain that I have a fused spine and a crazy, mixed-up body that could make things a challenge? Lois, the mom, was there to hold my hand and translate. She was amazing!

While in the emergency room I had to take a breathalyzer test (at 8:00 a.m.) and had to explain several times what happened. They kept asking me to sign things but I couldn't use my right arm. Lois was there to take it all on.

Ended up with a broken collarbone near the shoulder and there was a chance I was going to have surgery. I was put in a sling, given some meds and was sent home. From being hit by the scooter to sitting on my couch, it was a total of 2 hours. To say I was in pain is an understatement but I kept telling myself that it could have been so much worse.

The following Monday I went back to the hospital for another x-ray to make sure the break hadn't moved and to decide if I needed surgery. I admit the system for a follow-up isn't my favorite. I had to check into the doctor's office with my medical card, was given a slip of paper to go get another x-ray, waited in line there, then back up to the doctor's office until they called my number. I was number 42 and it was only at 17. It took over 2 hours.

The waiting room was packed with people with little to no seats to wait. I guess you can check in then wait at home until your number is up. You can check online to see what number they are up to but everything is in Chinese so this doesn't help me at all.

The treatment room is not like what I'm used to in the states. I walked in and had a seat while the doctor consulted with the patient in front of me. No privacy here. Then I had about 5 minutes with the doctor. I was in crazy pain and didn't even have a chance to tell him about my fused spine and other issues. I was told to wear the sling for another week then to come back to get another x-ray. For now, no surgery.

Went back yesterday and no change so no surgery. I have to stay in a sling for the next 4 weeks then another x-ray to see how I'm doing. No use of my right arm and shoulder until then. I'm right handed; this should get interesting. My body isn't happy with the trauma and not being able to stretch or workout the kinks has wreaked havoc on my "unique" body so my muscles are in spasm all the time. Got muscle relaxants and have to basically wait it out. Totally sucks the big one!

So, what do I think of the medical care in Taiwan? First, the ambulance guys were awesome. They were careful, efficient and gentle. The driving there was painful and I had to grab onto the EMT but overall they were great. The emergency room was also efficient. The x-ray techs could use some training. All three times they tried to move me using my shoulders. I have a freakin' sling on and they grab my shoulders to adjust me! Come on!!

Although not a fan of the waiting for 3 hours until your number comes up, my doctor was kind, gentle, speaks some English and really listened to me when I explained the pain and how I was doing. It's like a revolving door of patients but he didn't make me feel like that at all.

And the cost? Here's an example. Yesterday I had an x-ray, saw the doctor and picked up meds. The total cost was just over $14 U.S. So I had to wait a long time to be seen but I felt taken care of, got what I needed and it didn't break the bank. Can't complain about that.

What was amazing is that the KAS community joined together to help me. Different people brought me meals, supplies and kept me company for the first 8 days. I can't even thank everyone enough for making me feel taken care of during the challenging week. I had to cancel my trip to the EARCOS conference in Malaysia and my vacation there but I'm so fortunate to have the time to heal and recover from this bump in the road.

The next few weeks should be challenging but I just have to take it one day at a time. I figured I'll take the time to practice Chinese, learn how to use chopsticks with my left hand and basically let my body recover. As with all things, this too shall pass.

Continued Attitude Adjustment

As I continued my journey of putting my life into perspective, on Saturday I had dinner with some friends here and then we danced the night away. Dance therapy! That's the way to go. I so needed that!

On Sunday a small group of us headed to Gushan Mountain to get brunch. We knew of a place that sits right on the ocean facing the Taiwan Strait and we thought this would be a perfect way to spend a couple of hours. We took a winding taxi ride up, up, up the mountain and then down to a temple that sits on the west coast of of Kaohsiung. The mountain rises dramatically behind me as I snap this photo looking out into the strait. What you can't see is the dozens of huge ships waiting to enter the port.

The restaurant is called Escape 41 and it's not easy to find. I wouldn't want to search for this place in the dark. You walk up and down these winding hills and staircases.

 Houses are crammed into every space. It's incredible really!

 The first sign that finally pointed the way. We're almost there!

 Hello little monkey! I saw a couple of them high above us.

 Look at this building and the tree growing right around it!

 Glimpses of ocean as we continue on our journey. 

 This happy buddha was hidden behind these bushes. Makes me smile just looking at him!

 Finally we found our way. Like I said, this place is right along the ocean.

 Now you can get an idea of how many ships are waiting! Whoa!

 More stairs into the restaurant and this is what you find when you get there.

 This was the view from our table! Wow!

We had HUGE pizzas, great fries and an all-around great time sitting with the windows open, wind blowing in off the ocean, waves crashing and stuffing ourselves. What a perfect way to adjust my attitude.

Attitude Adjustment

Teaching is hard....really hard.  And living abroad in a new country without friends or family around makes it even more challenging. This week I recognized that I need a little attitude adjustment. I've been feeling overwhelmed, frustrated and a bit alone and it all came to a head during the past 2 weeks. My patience has worn thin and my reserves are on empty. I've was beating myself up about it but then realized that I have to take control of things again, recognize that it's okay to feel like this now and again and then do something about it. We all go through this stuff right? I'm only human and it's okay to feel frustrated, sarcastic and negative every now and then. Right? I hope you're nodding your head in agreement right now.

On Wednesday I decided to walk home from school as part of my putting things in perspective. I haven't walked home since I got my bike in August so this walk was a 45 minute reflection on how much my life has changed in the past 7 1/2 months.

I remember taking this walk the second day I was here when it was 200º with 1000% humidity. Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit here but that's what it felt like when I first got here. 

 I took a right onto Cuehua (near my school) and began my leisurely stroll home.

 Many apartment buildings look a bit like this, especially in the neighborhood near the school. It is pretty much apartment living in Kaohsiung.

Although there isn't really a winter here (it never gets below the high 50's), it is officially spring and so much is beginning to bloom.

 You will find little carts and shops selling food along pretty much every road in Kaohsiung. My walk home is no exception.

 This is someone's front yard. Clothes are hanging out to dry and flowers are fragrant and blooming.

 Plants are everywhere...on balconies, in pots, little gardens and even nailed into the side of trees.

When I first got here there was so much to adjust to....smells, heat, noise, language, culture. On my walk I realized how much it all seems familiar now. The smell of a small food cart selling sausages mingling with the smell of burning incense outside the temple is comforting. Hearing Chinese spoken, although still indecipherable, now piques my curiosity. The greetings as I pass by bring a smile to my face.

This is a good way to begin my attitude adjustment therapy.

A crazy week!

Last week was a tough one.....

There was way too much to do, not enough time to do it in and the pressure was on. Teaching can be a tough job and this week was one of those "maybe I can work as a greeter at Walmart" type of week.

To top it all, my friend Wendy, who I've spoken about before, was in an awful accident on her way to work on Friday. Wendy and her husband Lee use bikes as their mode of transportation (like I do) and on Friday Wendy was hit from behind by a young scooter driver and she ended up with a broken rib, broken wrist, scalp laceration (30 stitches), a concussion, brain bleed and an overall body pounding. Wendy and Lee are my family here. I'm the type of person that makes a family no matter where I live. I can't help it; I'm both maternal and a nester. It's instinctive. I have to say I was quite emotional about this whole thing.

Lee has been staying at the hospital 24/7 and I'm trying to help as much as I can but I'm no replacement for family. In Taiwan, the hospital culture is very different than in the states. Family is expected to be part of the process. Family brings in the food and towels and anything else the patient needs. They don't have a large number of nursing staff because it's expected that family will be there to help take a patient to the bathroom, walk with them, help move them to a gurney and basically be part of caring for the patient. I like that actually.

At the hospitals here, if a patient wants to go for a walk, they are allowed to do that. I have seen families pushing patients in wheelchairs with the I.V. hanging on the pole above the chair. I've seen patients enjoying a cup of coffee outside of 7/11. How do I know they are a patient? They are rolling their I.V. pole right along with them. How cool is that? You might say that it isn't sanitary or doesn't account for germs and bacteria. Well, the occurrence of staph infection is almost nonexistent here. Go figure!

As I watch Lee with his wife, it makes me realize how far away I am from those who would care for me if I was in this situation? I'm on my own here. Made me miss my peeps back home.

Another great meal!

Last night my friend Flora and I were working very late! We are both taking this online course and it has been a ton of work. When we finished we decided to go to this local noodle shop. From what I understand, it was featured on some food/travel show some years back. As always, we ordered too much food but it was delicious.

As I took some pictures, I realized I haven't done a food blog for a while. What's up with that? I decided to remedy that! Besides a GIGANTIC bowl of beef noodles (not pictured here), we were served the following:

 This is a type of blood pudding - rice and blood made into a cake.

 That is lotus root that is brined with some type of flower that looked a bit like hibiscus. You can eat both and it was crunchy and tasted a bit like plum.

 From the top - a local mushroom that, to be honest, looks a bit like a certain male appendage (wink, wink), marinated tofu (delish) and pig's ear. Yes, real pig's ear. It's chewy and tasty.

 These greens above are one of my favorite in Taiwan. I think they are snow pea leaves but I'm not completely sure. Nomnom! On the top right is a type of local seaweed (great texture and prepared with sesame).

And finally, these were lightly brined cucumbers (more sweet than sour) with a spicy slaw stuffed into the center. What is not to love about that?

My food adventures continue!!!

My run in with art...

On Sunday my friend Wendy and I went to our friend Lulu's home to practice Chinese. Learning the language is challenging so having conversation (very limited though it may be) is really helpful. On my way home I rode my bike past this little park that has this great display of sculptures that line the sidewalk around one corner of the park. I have gone by this park many times but decided today was the day to have a look. Since there was no one around, I stayed on my bike and slowly looked at the artwork.

Now you may be thinking that "My run in with art" means I saw some great art in Kaohsiung. Well, yes, I did but that's not quite what I meant. When I say run in I literally mean I had a run in with art.

Picture this...I'm meandering along, reading all of the info cards (these are a few I saw along the way) but I decided to stay on my bicycle since there was no one else there. I just leaned in to read the cards and check out the artwork.

 Many of the sculptures represent the deities and legends of Taiwan.

 This big boy holding the wheat represents a full and happy life. Perfect actually!

 This one above is very cool...the five buns on top of the head represent inner wisdom. The sharp sword means delicate intelligence and the lion represents facing all of life's challenges without fear. 

This is where things got interesting. As I was looking at one big piece of art that had arms extending out (I don't have a picture of it and you'll know why in a minute), a couple came by with their dog. Like many dog owners here, their fluffy little bundle was not on a leash. Now remember, I was on my bike and stopping at each sculpture to read and admire. I was leaning toward the arms out sculpture reading the info when little Fido came towards me. The dog jumped up on my leg saying hello but it surprised me. I was already leaning to the side and this send my center of gravity even further in that direction. I was heading for a fall but I instinctively reached out to grab whatever would stop that fall. Yup, you guessed it. I wrapped my arms around that statue and quickly realized that it was not attached to the pedestal. The few hundred pound 3 foot wide statue was going to come down with me.

Now you know when something like this happens a million things flash through your mind? "Will this thing crush me if it falls on me?" "Will I break a precious piece of artwork?" "Will I break something in my fall?" As these flew through my mind I released the sculpture and landed quite softly on the grass. Not hurt and no statue on top of me - Phew!

I looked over at the statue and it was still perched on the pedestal but instead of it reaching out parallel to the sidewalk, the statue was perpendicular and reaching out over the sidewalk. Try as I might I could not turn that sucker so I looked around and realized that no one had seen my tumble. How is this even possible in a city with this many people and with a couple walking by? The dog couple was busy looking at the artwork and Fido was now by their side. Either they didn't notice or they were looking away to save me from embarrassment. 

I got back on my bicycle and made my way around the rest of the exhibit. When I turned the corner, I realized that there was an attendant who was stationed there at the exhibit. She was on her phone and hadn't seen a thing. How long will it take for her to notice that one of the pieces is not quite where it should be? I snapped a few more photos as I "walked" my bike around the exhibit. 

As I quickly made my escape, this guy seemed to be giving me a look of disapproval. Oh well, at least the sculpture didn't fall on the ground. Yikes! I may have a guardian angel after all!