Progress Made

A busy day in the changing life of our family. Today we worked toward two major goals - medical clearance from America, and finding a new home.

Medical Clearance

We fasted from 10pm last night - of course, last night was the evening I couldn't sleep. And boy, was I hungry at 1:15 this morning! We reached the doctor's office first thing this morning, and we had the first appointment with a nurse. We moved in swiftly, and saw the same nurse who ordered our labs for me the week before. Dave and I sat right down and began a battery of tests - 6 vials of blood for each of us, 2 cups of pee in total, and then a walk into the local hospital for our chest X-rays.

Word on the street is that the doctors in local hospitals are quite well qualified, and that the medical care they provide in Shanghai is top-notch. The rumor surrounding expatriate doctors is that, well, there must be some reason they're practicing in China. Maybe their malpractice rates got too high? Maybe they graduated last in their class? Still, a walk into one of the VIP clinics we are privileged to use makes me much more comfortable than the time we spent in the local hospital this morning.

Although I have faith that the chest X-ray was done well, I have very little faith in the overall health of the hospital. A man - an orderly or lab technician, by his blue outfit - stood smoking a cigarette in the hallway where we waited. Even better - two elderly patients in hospital smocks waited there as well, and someone with a blanket and a gurney was wheeled past his smoke. Even better than that - he stood right next to the No Smoking sign. Clearly no one cared. The floors and walls were filthy. The poor man on the gurney was rammed into every corner he passed - and those corners showed evidence of plenty of previous rammings. Someone had spilled something on the floor in the X-ray room, but not bothered to clean it up. Doors were all open - offering no privacy and easy cross-contamination. I saw nothing sterilized, including hands.

With our bodily fluids left behind, we walked out of the building and washed our hands with plenty of soap. We still need to find someone willing to give us TB tests by Wednesday morning, and must confirm that the doctor will see us at our appointed time. If all of that occurs, he and I should be in business. I have had no opportunity to pre-order labs for the girls, so I am still a bit worried about their paperwork.

The Move

We have an offer in hand. A high-rise apartment building, 20 minute walk from the school, fully furnished and quite sterily decorated is available to us at a good price. The management seems good, the place seems boring but easy, and the distance is at the far-end of walkable.

But just to keep things interesting, I looked at a lanehouse this morning. Shanghai's old houses do not face the street, but rather line small alleys which run off of the streets. These alleys are called lanes, and the old houses are called lanehouses. They have plenty of character and often local neigbors. This house fit the bill perfectly - it is beautifully rehabbed with original lead windows and lovely woodwork, but also an open and modern kitchen, a small garden lined with trees, and a tremendous rooftop terrace. The layout and the furniture are a bit weird, but all things we're willing to live with for the layout and the access to the outdoors. What's better - it is nearly across the street from the school. No more than a 5 minute walk. We're in the process of negotiating for this house, but fully realize that the price may not drop to a reasonable level.

Besides which, I made it to the grocery store and the pharmacy, updated my phone and visited the tailor for my new dress (we're still working on it - Chinese tailors don't seem to know what to do about breasts!)

Awfully nice to make such progress in one morning!