This is the second installment of my weight loss in China series. Getting healthy is a huge lifestyle change. I had to drastically revamp my old unhealthy habits and swap them out for healthier habits. So basically I changed one addiction for another in a way. However I would rather have an exercise addiction to a food addiction any day of the week! I am more addicted to how amazing exercise makes me feel. I feel like I am on top of the world! It is like a natural high. I am definitely a happier person now than I was when I first came to China two years.
Many people mistake my zest for exercise as an obsession. “Obsession is the lazy person’s word for dedication.”(I stole that from someone) I post this because, I am excited about the changes that I am making to my body and mind. Of course I get people who chugged a barrel of Hatorade that make negative comments about my weight loss. I am going to state here publicly, that I am in no way anti fat. This is my personal weight loss and health journey and not a pulpit for people to spread their fat acceptance spiel. This is a new trend that is occurring in America and it is spreading some division in the overweight community. One thing, that I don’t like is the generalized belief in the fat acceptance community is that overweight people who choose to lose weight have low self esteem and don’t love and accept themselves. Yup, I hear this one a lot. Truth, I was not happy when I was fat because I was plagued with health problems and I was tired,depressed and had no zest for life. My mom died directly related to her obesity and she was only 56. So my weight loss is a tribute to her and wanting to live a higher quality life.
Weight loss since beginning the gym
My newest love is spin class. When I first came to the gym I couldn’t even last 10 minutes in a spin class. I worked with my trainer Lucas and was able to complete a spin class. Still though I only took it occasionally. I was more of an elliptical trainer, belly dancing and Zumba girl. Well things changed, I am a spin convert! Spin is easier on my ankle, more fun and I burn more calories. I have noticed that since taking spin my weight loss got kicked up a notch. My legs, booty and stomach are firm and there is less fat. I take spin class about 5 days a week. I like the people in my spin class, we are like a small community of hardcore enthusiast. They even saved a bike for me when I was running late.
I also took my walking up a notch and recently bought a Xiaomi fitness wristband. It calculates your steps ,calories and sleep pattern. You can sync it with an app on the phone. The company also has a scale that I am going to get!!! I have started to take Oreo out for longer walks now and it benefits me and her at the same time. Plus I have many friends who use the same product so we can compete with each other to see who has the most steps in a day. This motivates me to be the best me that I can be.
As of a few days ago I have lost 67 pounds since coming to China!!! I am within spitting distance from my goal. I have about 33 more pounds to go. However this is the hardest part of the battle. This is when I have to dig deep and remember why I am doing this. Jiayou Amber!. My goal is to climb that mountain.
*note I changed the original picture since somebody decided to make it an issue because I photoshop some pictures to make my skin smoother. Due to lighting and some apps yes that can lighten skin. In no way am I ashamed of my true complexion. So ask a question before you make assumptions that I am ashamed of my skin tone*
It’s bizarro how I am finding everything about my life a social experiment lately. It is what fueled me to write my latest blog entry. It is what helps me to keep my sense of humor when I am having one of those infamous Bad China Days.
The Next topic in my Social experiment series tackles online dating in China. With online dating your picture is what everyone looks at first. I know if a guy doesn’t have a profile picture, I am less likely to read about him. He could have written something that was a beautiful as a Shakespeare sonnet but no picture no read. I am sure that men are doing the same thing with my profile.
Online dating is like being a kid in a candy store, so many choices to choose from but many people are selective in their choices. In a candy store I prefer jellybeans and caramel over black licorice. It is just a choice.
Online dating is just like that. My social experiment on this began as an accident. When I first came to China I had an online dating profile with OKCupid. My friend met her boyfriend now fiancé in China using OkCupid. I have had mixed results with this website in the past. So I did it I put up my profile. It has been active for 2 years. In 2 years I have had 14 responses to my profile. Oh and 106 views. Of the responses most of them were black men. The views I had a mix of men but mostly black.
In the first profile I am heavier and there are only face shots. I also am wearing my hair in it’s natural state. My smile and my words in the profiles remain constant. My age changed though. In China there is a stigma about age so I subtracted some years off my age in the first profile. Also I sent out maybe 4 responses that never got answered.
Once I moved to Hangzhou after my tragic love life ,I decided to give love another try. I decided to open my OKCupid profile again. Well guess what??? I forgot the password! So I decided to open up a new account. A new account a fresh start.
This profile was born about 3 months ago. So it is very new. I put up my most recent pictures. Well the response was way different. In 3 months I had about 51 men respond to my ad and over 100 views. These statistics are way better than my older profile. The words are basically the same. I am still a romantic and still an animal lover.
So what could possibly illicit a difference in response? There is a saying, ” A picture speaks 1000 words.” So yes image is everything. I think it is the differences in how I look. Many physical variables differ between the two profiles, like 60+ pound weightloss and sessions with my flatiron. Also in some pictures I appear lighter than in others. That is due to lightning and maybe some photoshopping skills. However I have a variety of pictures in both profiles. Location may have also been a variable. However I was getting responses from different areas than where I live in both profiles so this variable probably is not a great enough factor to change the results of this experiment. Someone mentioned that I am more confident and that comes across in a photo. Maybe …. But I don’t see that as I look over my two profiles. I see the same exact expression.
Another thing that I noticed was the type of men that responded to me in both profiles. In the first profile it is mostly black men that respond to me. I would say they are all Africans. Many were very polite in their responses. I don’t often reply using the first profile. I only remember it whenever I get an email alert to a message.
The second profile I get responses from a variety of men representing a variety of races. I guess this profile is more man friendly. Maybe the overall cuteness factor of ChocolateChickinChina revamped is the answer. Maybe it be an unknown like how many licks does it take to get to the center of Toostie Roll Tootsie Pop. The world may never know.
This is part 1 of an ongoing social experiment that I have been conducting since coming to China. Since my arrival in China I have noticed an ongoing obsession with appearance. It is worse than in The Western World. In the west at least we have a variety of standards that defines beautiful. Here in China not so much.
Their ideal of beauty is so far fetched that not even the average Chinese woman can attain it. So it creates a system of woman going through any means to reach something that in unattainable unless you get plastic surgery. To them beauty is pale white smooth alabaster skin, big doe eyes , slim body( to the extreme) heart shaped face, pointy chin and long straight dark hair. I don’t know many women that look like that that aren’t anime characters.
They also view Westerners as beautiful but you have to have white skin. Anything that is white is beautiful to them. They even consider white dogs to be cuter than brown and black dogs! So if you are white and slim you are a god or goddess. It is their culture and it will not change. It is probably the hardest thing to have to face in an Asian country. I have to look in the mirror and tell myself that I am beautiful and not a fat ugly monster.
It isn’t as bad as when I first came to China. With my Afro textured hair, chocolate complexion and full body, I was the antithesis of their ideal of beauty. The Chinese didn’t know what to make of me. So I was not treated kindly. I was made fun of and laughed at. This really lowered my already low self esteem. So on the outside I was smiling on the inside I was dying.
Then I begin losing weight and I noticed how people changed. People smiled at me more. They approached me more. Then I began changing my hairstyles. When I wore a wig my coworkers told me I was so pretty and all I needed to do was to lose weight because a boy only looks at a good figure. (Cue eye rolls)
After I hated the falseness of wigs I went back to natural hair. I notice that again my collegues distanced themselves. I had one student that was repelled by my natural hair. Oh and I got parents that complained about my hair. I also had a parent say I was too fat to teach her child. I have students call me fat Laoshi.
I decided to get braids. Well this style was different than the Chinese norms. The kids were fascinated by my hair as were my Chinese friends. They thought it was amazing. This is when I had strangers touch my hair. They thought my hair was cool and fashionable. It was eccentric. I was also losing a lot of weight at the same. So the Chinese people were very nice to me during this phase.
I got another braided style that was curly and I had black and red braids. I loved it. The Chinese didn’t. This is when I was called Hei Gui on many occasions. One of my more verbal students said my hair was ugly. My coworkers just kept glaring at my hair. One had the gall to ask me if I actually like my hair that way. That hair was way too much from their beauty zone. On a side note, Western men loved the big hair and I got some interest from them. So big sexy hair is a turn on for western men.
Next I got a Brazilian Blowout and I will say this. Big humongous difference to how I am treated. This hair looks more like their hair. So I am more accepted. Not viewed as an oddity anymore. I have noticed more Chinese men checking me out. Also my OKCupid ad is getting way more responses by men of all cultures. Once I put up the straight hair pictures my stock level went up. I think the straight hair enhances my features more. I have two OKCupids profiles. One is an older one where I am heavier and with my natural tightly curled hair. The other is more recent and I am smaller. My old one only gets an occasional response by African men.
My experiment is not fully complete. I have to see how I am treated here once I hit goal weight . My budding self esteem might have something to do with how I am getting treated as well. When I first came to China, I never took pictures. I hated looking in the mirror so that attitude may have influenced how others saw me. Now I am selfie goddess and like the me looking back at me in the mirror. That attitude maybe attracting people was well. So this may actually skew the effects of my experiment.
Even though China is a superficial society it did give me a swift kick up the arse and was the fuel that I needed to make a well needed change in myself.
This blog is all about my closest group of friends in Hangzhou, who I lovingly call The Brits. I can’t begin to explain how loving and funny they all are. They opened up their ranks and accepted this lone American in their fold. There is also a Canadian in our group but he doesn’t come out as often.
Each of the Brits have their own distinct and lovely personality. I just love their deprecating, dry and sarcastic sense of humor. I find it refreshing. I always have a blast when I hang out with the Brits. So without further ado let me introduce you to the Brits.
This is Mr. Debonair himself, Sir Ashton, our leader. Ash has a heart of gold and is a good friend, though I worry about his liver. He loves a pint or 20. He is a likable bloke and always organizes us together. He is our king. He drinks so many Long Island Ice Teas that I fear that he may morph into Joey Buttafuco one day( Google that name if you don’t get my joke) Ash is a friend that I met though another friend and he is the one that introduced me to The Brits. He also is a matchmaker and he is trying to find love for me. What a sweetie. Just don’t get him angry.
Next up we have Sam, the most cynical and funniest in the group. Sam is the music critic and he gave me a thumbs up on my music in my phone. He is a Smiths fan, which I absolutely love. He smokes Marlboro Ice Blast and drinks Tiger beer. He hates music by Michael Jackson, it is like nails on the chalkboard for him. Oh well nobody is perfect.
This is Big Ben, and my opinion the most mature of the bunch. Ben dresses like the classic English gentleman. He is the classy one and is very well spoken. He actually isn’t a Brit, he is a Welshman. Ben found true love in China. He and his girlfriend are so sweet they give me a toothache.
Next is Baby Joe, a fresh faced young lad. I like Joe he is very adorable. He has game, I have to say. Within one week of moving to Hangzhou he found a beautiful girlfriend named Laura. They are so utterly adorable together. Joe can be a bit naive and is the butt of every single joke. He is a Liverpoolean and rumored to be the illegitimate grandson of one of The Beatles. If you believe that you are more gullible than Joe.
The Chicks. The Brits have their Chicks. Their chicks are Chinese. They are Brits by association. We can call them The Chits.
This is DanLi, girlfriend of Ben. She is uber nice and a chocoholic. No piece
of chocolate is safe around her. She is also a piano teacher. I think she is absolutely beautiful both inside and out. Ben is one lucky boy.
This is Laura , Joe’s girlfriend. If Maryann( from Gilligan’s Island) and Dorothy( from the Wizard of Oz) had a love child then it would be Laura. Laura is just a sweetie. She is very kind and helpful. I always have such a pleasant conversation with her. She is such a cute and petite lady. Her English is very good. She is an English teacher.
Helley is no one’s chick! She is single and strong minded. Her drink of choice is ginger ale. We have not fully corrupted her yet. I know many foreign men would love to have a girl like her. Her English is very good. She and I are the single ladies of the group. I would love to set her up but she is content with her life the way it is.
The Canadian, is the only other non Brit. He is actually a nice guy and a good friend He is fun to be around and makes me laugh. He is a mountain man and loves the outdoors. Johnathan likes to take exploration trips around Hangzhou on his days off. He use to play in a band in Canada.
The are my motley crew of friends. I love them to bits. So cheerio mates.
I have been on trains before in China and I always kept track of my ticket. However my last trip well, I was careless. At least it broke a writer’s block and I have something useful and informative to post.
I just got back from my vacation. I totally needed some R&R, the summer has been very busy. I went to Wuhan to see my boyfriend( more about that in another post) I was very excited and nervous so when I got my tickets from the ticket window, I slipped them in my passport. Well there was a pushy gentleman behind me and I wanted to get out quickly.
I always put my train tickets in my wallet. I tend boarded the train and used my ticket to Wuhan. 5 hours later I arrived in Wuhan and reunited with my boyfriend. We ate and the I went to my hotel.
I handed the clerk my passport so I could register into the hotel. That is the moment that I believe the chaos began. My boyfriend took me to my room. I was so exhausted that I showered and went straight to bed.
The next morning I decided that , I needed to place my return ticket in my wallet, it was a much safer place. Well much to my amazement , the train ticket was missing. I called my boyfriend and he called the hotel have them check downstairs. There was no ticket. After my Lucky finished work he came to the hotel and the staff looked around again.
Leon called the train station to explain the situation and got the procedures. Guess what it was a lengthy process. There is no such thing as an easy button in Chinese . The Chinese tend to take simple things and make things complicated. It involves bureaucracy and of course a stamp!!!
Step One: Buy a new ticket at the Wuhan train station. They will only print a new ticket if you buy another ticket at full price. Luckily I had a picture of my original ticket( I post my life on social media apps) so I got to keep the same seat. It was a window seat, which are highly coveted in China. Wuhan station could not reimburse my ticket that could only be done in Hangzhou. The new ticket indicated that it was a replacement ticket, Easy button version would be an extra fee for printing up a lost ticket.
Step Two: Find someone wearing a uniform on the train and show them the message that my boyfriend saved on my phone because his silly laowei girlfriend lost her ticket.
Step Three: Find the train boss. In China each train has a manager or 老板. Luckily, the helpful stewardess (is that what they are called on trains?) The boss checked my passport and wrote a receipt and a note and told me to find him 10 minutes before we reached Hangzhou.
Step Four: Search for the train boss. He was in the dining car. He stamped and signed the receipt and took my ticket. He handed me off to someone at Hangzhou train. She also signed the receipt and took me downstairs.
Step Five: Go to the ticket window. I can only go to the north ticket window because they are the only ones that deal with foreigners. The line was super long and it was crowded. The line jumpers were in full force today. I thwarted one line jumper from skipping me. I blocked him off. I gave my receipt , passport and ticket to the girl at the ticket counter.
Step Six: Wait for the girl to call her superiors. This had to get explained to someone else over the phone. It took about 10 minutes.
Step Seven: Get my Refund !!!! That was a lot to do for a 300 kuai refund. The girl kept my ticket and the receipts.
The moral of this story, is never never never ever ever lose any kind of ticket in China.
The best part about being in Anhui is the students. I have never met such a group of kind and humble students. The kids are so down to earth. Being in Anhui has changed me so much. It has given me direction. The children have helped to cleanse my troubled soul and have shown me the direction that I want to go with my life.
I realize now that my place is with the kid,s not in a university setting. This will mean a job change after my contract is up. In the middle of a school year too! Wish me luck in that endeavor and pray that i will find the right placement
My class is hysterical, I have 18 students. Out of those students 15 are boys. You know how middle school boys can be, rambunctious, sneaky, mischievous. They were quite a handful but I love them so much. They were eager to learn and we built up such a rapport together.
Each student has a distinct personality. There was Matt who is the troublemaker who had a mega crush on one of the teaching assistants. I have a soft spot for the bad boys, I just loved Matt he was a cutie. Then there was John, he always got in trouble never listened and always ended up almost getting hurt because he never listened. There was Mark the buck tooth beaver. Awwww he is soo precious his English level was low but he tried so hard and his smile warmed my heart. There was Bill who is just a cool kid and an amazing dancer. His mom is the richest woman in town but Bill is so level headed and down to earth. He treats everyone equally. He is so not a snob.
Oh and then there was Anna. Anna and I totally connected. Her mom was my co teacher in the class. This little girl is such a happy, optimistic and loving child. She is 12 years old an she has stolen my heart. She always cheerful and kind. Eliza, her mom is my new female friend in China. I am really going to miss her friendship. I will keep in touch with them. I was even invited over to their house for dinner. I really wish that i had the opportunity to see her grow into a lovely young woman.
I had Mike and Ken who loved to dance. On break time those two were always doing Gangnam Style. It was too funny. My boys did enjoy dancing and singing. They had me laughing for most of the class especially during break time.
Oh and there was James, James is also a student who will be forever engraved upon my heart. He was the oldest and tallest boy in my class at age 15. He had the calmest and sweetest demeanor. His desire to learn English was high. He sat in the front and he out of all my students made the most progress. I love this boy so much.
Oh and the twins Mark and Luke(they choose those names on their own) is it ironic! They had a higher level on English than most of the students. It was so fun communicating with them. I really felt a connection with them, plus they are so funny and friendly who could not love the twins.
Oh and Jim whose parents are both teachers and he had the highest English level. Jim is a smart kid and has a sense of justice. He has the heart of a rebel but he does it in such a subtle and clever way.
I also had the privilege of having Jonathan, a foreign teacher’s son in my class. H aving an expat child in the class really was a learning experience for the Chinese students. Jonathan made some lifelong friends and he told me he was hesitant to leave the school.
Oh and my two lovely girls Lisa and Zoe. It was great watching them torture the boys during break time. These girls were at first intimidated to be in a class surrounded by boys, gradually though they got more comfortable. Zoe taught me how to blow a double balloon. A balloon inside a balloon. It is so unbelievably cool. And Lisa has the funniest laugh and she is quite the actress.
We learned so much together. I taught them high frequency words, greeting, Western Culture and Chinese Culture, phonics. I Also taught them about American football, baseball and dodgeball(In the next and very short blog). We have been practicing for plays that I wrote that we will be performing on the final day of camp. They learned about Western music. I also learned so much from my students to. They taught me so much more than I taught them, They showed me my true purpose and they opened my heart to love. I will always remember Jixi with a fond heart.
After the long long car ride, we were told that our rooms on campus were not ready, so we would be put into a hotel for two days. I have found that my stays at hotal s in China have been quite pleasant. Well escept the my universities hotel room. Ughs.
The hotel staff was so excited to see us. There are not a lot of foreigners that come to Xuancheng. So seeinga foreigner is a big deal. The staff was really nice. We had to check in and our passports were scanned.
We were taken in the elevator. We had to make two trips because the elevator was narrow. We were both on the fifth floor. The Vice head master of the school opned the rooms i walked into the first room. The vice principal said non no no and pointed to Jose and Jonathan. He gestured for me to go to the corner room.
chairs
A bathtub, I never got a chance to use it. I was scared my big butt would get stuck.
To my utter suprise and delight it was a suite!!1 This was the nicest room that I have ever styaed in. I left like a queen. I have two two bathrooms. One bathroom had a bathtun! I had a living room with a chaise, couches and a TV with cable. My bed was a huge king sized. There was also another TV in that room and a computer with internet axis.
I was so nears tears. I flopped on my bed and was comforted by a soft western style mattress. It was like I was sleeping on a cloud. It was an end to a perfect day.
This is part of a series about my month teaching in Anhui province at a summer camp. I have been here since July 3rd, however due to internet snafus and being busy with lesson planning I only have the time now to update my readers on my adventures. I have so much to update, So my lucky readers prepare a series of post overloads. 🙂
The company that hired me to work for the summer arranged a flight for me from Nanchang to Hangzhou. The flight was only about an hour and my friend Liu Jia took me to the airport to say farewell. We arrived early, I am so parnoid about things happening like the cab breaking down. So we sat in the airport people watching for two hours.
I got a window seat, iy was so relaxing to watch the happy little clouds. Don’t clouds make you so happy! Bob Ross likes happy little fuffy clouds. I felt like I was in his paintings.
The plane landedand guess which ditz could not unfasten the seatbelts? ME!!! I think I have blonde roots. I was struggling with it. Finally an older Chinese knight in shining armor saved the day. He unfastened my seatbelt with the greatest of ease. Yeah , I am a ditz. Next i went to claim my luggage, did I mention that I had to pay an overage fee?. My friend told me that I packed too much. Well, I am going to be gone for two months and I am a girl.
I got off the plane and look for my contact person. Everyone has signs with names on them. My contact did not. I could not spot him so I called him. He told me what he was wearing. We finally found each other, He helped me with the bags. He was shovcked at how heavy my bag was. He had no clue that I bought mama and baby bag. Big papa bag was at home all alone. He told me to the car where I met Jose and his son Jonathan and their adorable puppy Chino. I just love their puppy. I wanted to steal him and give him hugs and kisses. I still want to steal him to this day. He is my rent a puppy!!! I nicknamed him Chi Chi.
Look at the cutie pie!!!!!
We had a four hour car ride. It was a great way to get to know the TAs. They are college students and get to help us in the class room. The hour car drive really helped us all to bond. I sat in the front seat. Oen of the only perks about being a fatty is that I always get to call frontsies! Due to my size I am really just too big right now to sit anywhere else in a car when there are lots of people.
On the car ride I found out that I had a lot in common with Jose. He is also from New York. He is a professional teacher like myself. Oh and he use to work at the Newark Board of Eduation! My former district neighbor. Oh and he too moved to New Jersey after living in NY. He is funny as hell too. He is now my new BFF in China. Jason you have been replaced! Hehehehe
We did not arrive at the school until 10 pm. They had a banquet meal waiting for us. Everyone knows that I have been trying to lose weight, well I did partake in the feast and it was so delish. Hands down it was one of the best meals in China. The food was not spicy, like it is in Nanhang. There was duck tongue, this beef that was surely water buffalo, a fish dish and an assortment of veggies. I was hungry so I dove right in. I did eat small amounts.
After eating we were shown our rooms. We had to stay in a hotel te first night. Oh I wasa lucky girl. I will post next about the hotel room.
Duck Tongue
Hunk of Meat, tasted like water buffalo
A fish in a sweet sauce. It was the most succulent fish that I ever tasted.
It has almost been 5 months since stepped off the plane and began my new life in China. I will admit that I was scared. I am so glad though that I took the chance. China has changed me in so many ways. I lost myself in America but I am rediscovering myself as I stay longer in China.
Many people ask if I miss America. I do in some sense but not in others. I miss the ease of being able to converse with people. I miss my dog, my church and my niece Caity. I miss Lisa and her children as well. I do sometimes reflect on the friends that I left behind. I knew though in my heart back home that living in America was not my destiny. My destiny lies elsewhere. Is my destiny in China?… not sure yet but I am adapting to life in China rather quickly and I don’t feel the feelings of unrest here as I did in the states.
Did my life in China turn out exactly as I planned? Hmm not really. Heck I wanted to step off the plane and find my soul mate a get married and have a baby. Then hang out with Esther and Jo(black women who married Chinese men and live in China) as my married BFFs. It would be great we could get manis and pedis and sip on mimosas. Hmm I still have a couple of years though and maybe I can have a daughter and arrange a marriage between her and Esther’s new baby boy.
I was being unrealistic in my time frame, I wanted it now! I am sure Mr. Right will come into my life soon. There is still tons of things that I have to improve upon with myself before I am fully ready to receive love. That is what my first ill attempted love affair in China taught me. You can’t force and orchestrate love. My destiny is still an unwritten book. I will enjoy and be ready for this adventure known as life.
I knew this day would happen! I had to go to the dentist. People who know me personally know that I didn’t go to the dentist much in the states due to the cost of it. Oh and other reasons as well. Well I developed a severe infection in my gums and it moved to my throat. I went to the doctor and he told me to go to the dentist. I had a bad tooth.
My colleague Hansen(aka Reformed Grumpy Old Man) just happened to have to go to the dentist that day. Jason was accompanying him. I have nicknamed Jason H.B. He is turning to his little errand boy. I find it hysterical.
I felt that it was an omen from above that I needed to take care of my teeth right away. I am aware what happens when you leave an infected decayed tooth in your mouth too long. It can end up affecting your heart and cause death. So this chocolate chick does not want to die just yet. I have no reason but finances that kept me delaying this process in the USA. Ok that and maybe fear of dental work.
I was ready to go at around noontime, Hansen called the hospital just to find out that we had to wait until 2:30. For my fellow expats in china you know that the Chinese tend to have nap-time from 12-2pm everyday. Americans before you chuckle, the Chinese are way more hardworking than your average American , so they deserve a rest!
So I napped. I love to nap! After my nap, Jason called and said we were leaving and the cab would meet us at the back gate. Then Cowboy said the cab was coming to the apartment building. Jason was getting impatient, he said we should go to the gate. i was in pain and evil. When I am in pain and evil watch out. so poor Jason because my whipping boy. I was yelling at him. easy target, i guess. He called Cowboy like 3 times. Cowboy came in the cab and we picked up Hanson. Cowboy didn’t come with us, William one of Hansen’s H.B came instead.
The name of the dentistry hospital that we went to was called Number One Dentistry Clinic (that is what Hansen said)l. I guess it has to be the best. When we got there I have to say it was modern and nice from a Chinese perspective. Americans would wrinkle their noses at it. Two nurses asked me why I was here I explained via William my translator(I really need to learn Chinese)
Oh, the mean time Hansen kept repeating,” VIP! VIP!VIP! We go to VIP.” I went to the cashier to pay for my book and card. Then we were told that we had to go to the third floor. Hansen asked if it was VIP. As we were in the elevator, Hansen explained that in China that usually interns do dentistry on people. Only as a VIP can you be guaranteed a doctor
When we got to the third floor we saw tons of people waiting. Hansen walked back and then informed us that this was not VIP. He said it was on the 4th floor. Once we got to the 4th floor Hansen go walked like we owned the place. In China, there is this strange obsession with foreigners meaning that we get top service and quick service. I have not seen this happen to me unless i am accompanied by a Caucasian expat. Mostly, I am treated like everyone else. i never really got preferential treatment . So I would like to publicly thank Hansen for this!!!
Hanson was in the chair getting his work done, they looked at my mouth and told me I had to get my teeth pulled. I had to go down to the second floor. since William was occupied with Hansen, I was given a Chinese dentistry student that spoke adequate English to be my guide. Jason tagged along too.
When I got to the second floor William brought me right in. Wow VIP, I guess. i am not use to this, in the states i was treated crappy, less than a person. I was tearing up. I was examined and , I was told that I had to get x-rays on the second floor. The helpful lad brought me down to the second floor.
They gave me paperwork and I had to go downstairs to pay the cashier before I could get my x-ray. I was escorted down stairs. Then I was taken to the x-ray room. I don’t remember the last time i got a dental e-ray. I forgot that I had bobby pins in my hair, so I had to take that out. After x-ray i was taken back to the second floor. They doctors looked at it and told me that I had three bad teeth but two really bad ones. I opted to remove the two bad ones.
I was given a slip to take down to the cashier. So yet again, I was taken downstairs. I paid the cashier and was given a receipt and went upstairs. i don’t understand why i had to go downstairs twice. Why could I not pay for everything together. I guess it is The Chinese Way. Jason opted to stay upstairs and talk to the pretty dental intern that was pulling teach.I don’t think he scored the digits, i am not sure he tried. Jason has gotten domesticated lately(no fun)
Oh , before I continue, I have to describe how this particular dentist clinic was set up. Maybe Jo, or others have different experiences than I did. Ok well in the US we have rooms where the dentist treats you behind closed doors. It is all very private. I like it that way. Well not in China, the operation was in cubicles. Everyone can see you! There is no privacy. In fact while I was waiting I watched some cute guy get his tooth yanked out. I was to go after him. Then guess what? The chair broke! They had to get someone to repair it. I was told to sit outside and wait. Jason was not helping the situation. He was telling me about how painful it was going to be. He made me even more nervous. i was wishing Cowboy came. Cowboy has such a calm demeanor.
Finally it was my turn the intern was going to pull my teeth. She told Jason it would take 20 minutes if I cooperated. Do you think I cooperated? Heck no!!! Firstly my gums and my throat were infected so it was hard to open my mouth. Secondly the needle was freaking huge. Thirdly since when has anything been easy for me??? So I was a challenge from the beginning. I was not able to open my mouth wide enough and the anesthesia needle hurt. I am a big baby so I started screaming. Someone came and opened my mouth for me. I heard Jason tell me to calm down.
I had to wait for a few minutes for the anesthesia to take affect. Finally they began to extract my teeth. The first one came out easy enough. The second one was a bit tougher, I still had feeling in my gums so I was injected with more anesthesia. I kept closing my mouth. The intern kept telling me to open my mouth. I thought that I was done, then she pulled a third tooth. This tooth did not want to leave. the roots were strong. This one was hurting I screamed in agony.
It wasn’t budging, she had to call over the dentist. He tried but it was not budging and I was screaming in pain, he was not relenting. I started to cry and Jason told me people were gathering around. They applied more anesthesia to the area. The demented dentist was at war with tooth. He was not gentle anymore. He pulled and and pulled he was being a bit rough now. finally he won the battle, the tooth was out that area was throbbing. I began to cry. I had cotton shoved in my mouth and was unable to talk.
I was waiting on the scripts. the doctor did not write out a script. They told me to get antibiotics from a pharmacy, they wrote down what I needed. in Chinese. Also the doctor felt that I did not need a painkiller. Americans are weak we need painkillers! I was crying shaking my head trying explain. Jason was trying to explain to the intern as well. When Hansen found out he went with William to get the scripts. I have a feeling Hansen went up there causing havoc. Gotta love him!!! He came down with the scripts which we got from the pharmacy down stairs.
Yeah so my first trip to the dentist was full of tears because I was a baby! I cried the whole way home in the cab. It was cheap though get a tooth extraction. It cost 160 kuai to get 2 teeth pulled. That is roughly 24 USD! It cost way more than that in the US. Oh and I paid for two teeth to be and they pulled the third one for free. Buy 2 get one for free what a deal! I wish though i had a sexy Chinese boyfriend to come home to and comfort me. I took my meds and went to sleep, I dreamed of handsome Asian men though!
I also took my walking up a notch and recently bought a Xiaomi fitness wristband. It calculates your steps ,calories and sleep pattern. You can sync it with an app on the phone. The company also has a scale that I am going to get!!! I have started to take Oreo out for longer walks now and it benefits me and her at the same time. Plus I have many friends who use the same product so we can compete with each other to see who has the most steps in a day. This motivates me to be the best me that I can be.
