Adventures in Asia

I’ve had the joy of going to the doctor twice in the last few weeks (the flu sucks), so I thought I’d write about what it’s like to do so here in China! Our old-school thermometer, the only option at our local pharmacy; my flu medication, conveniently labeled in English as well as Chinese; and my oh-so-handy hospital card The first surprise is that China doesn’t do family doctors or small clinics much. If you have a cold or earache or strep throat or broke a bone, doesn’t matter, you go to the hospital. The bigger the hospital, the better the care. Checking in at the hospital involves the receptionist putting your personal information into the computer and issuing you a card. When this card is swiped anywhere in the hospital, the medical personnel can see your information and history. It also keeps track of your bill. You keep this card and can use it on future hospital visits to make things go even faster. (Unfortunately my lengthy full name is difficult for mos...

Ah, I haven’t reviewed a Korean drama in ages! It’s good to be back to watching the best genre of TV in the world. I’ve been sick recently, so I’ve had plenty of time to watch, and chose the well-reviewed “Moonlight Drawn by Clouds,” also translated “Love in the Moonlight.” “Moonlight” is a historical drama set in the Joseon era, in which a girl disguised as a man is recruited as a eunuch in the palace, the Crown Prince hopes to teach his little sister’s secret admirer a lesson, and the King is constantly manipulated by the sly nobles of the court. The Prince’s only friend is his cool, butt-kicking bodyguard, though he quickly becomes entangled with his new “eunuch.” The grandson of the most conniving noble family also finds himself attracted to the effeminate eunuch, who only has eyes for the Prince. And behind it all is a foggy back-story of a failed rebellion. This drama aired in 2016 and has eighteen episodes, plus a nineteenth behind-the-scenes-and-highlights episode....

I hate exercise. I had heard about the traumas of working-out-in-front-of-an-audience from fellow expats. I was not interested in going to the gym in China. But I love my husband and he wanted to and it’s healthy so I went anyway. Here’s what it was like for us! One of the signs in our gym - gotta love the English, lol. We visited three different gyms before committing. The first one was super small, technically a sports club, located in a hotel. The price was a little steep, but there wasn’t a membership fee. The owner made us tea and kindly answered all our questions. The second one was big, hot, and loud. Unintelligible club music thumped through the whole place. Rows and rows of machines were occupied by young adults who, of course, stared at the weird foreigner (me). My husband and I started sweating during the tour. I was not impressed. The third gym was on the tenth, top floor of a building. They had a lot of space and were more affordable. I liked the yog...