Report from Hainan

Here we are in the "Hawaii" of China - Hainan! It's much warmer than Chengdu even though it's been raining VERY hard since we arrived. They tell us that 2 different typhoons have passed nearby. The only effect we are feeling here is the rain.

I am at the Haikou city hospital (not military - has the same high rating as the military hospital in Chengdu) The nurses and doctors here are really good to me. There are 2 nurses who have been specifically assigned to me who speak pretty good English. Their names are Jo and Tina (a lot of Chinese give themselves an American name- which is the case with Tina) Jo was actually transferred from a different department specifically to help me. She told me that she knew I was coming and that she was very nervous because she had been asked to be my nurse. But she said, "Now that I know you I am not nervous anymore because you are very kind." I don't know that I'm so kind. I just smile a lot and say thank you a lot!

Jimmy and Jau-Fang hosted a dinner for us our first night in Hainan to introduce us to some of their friends who live here. As we sat at dinner I couldn't help but get a little emotional. Here are all these people who we don't even know who are willing to be at our beck and call. They are all willing to help us however they can. A couple of them have already taken Lon to get a cell phone and to get a wireless card for the computer. They are willing to drive us anywhere or help us in anyway. I am so touched by their kindness.

I have been undergoing a lot of tests at the hospital. Dr Shang and the specialist from Beijing will be here tomorrow. They are eager to get going too. They are very concerned about my situation.

Here's one funny story about the language difficulty. One of the lower level doctors was asking me questions about my symptoms. She speaks English well, but we soon discovered that not all things translate directly. I thought it was strange that the first question she asked me was, "Do you have bad breath?" I answered, "No," thinking what has that got to do with scleroderma? From there I decided to just tell her my symptoms instead of her asking strange questions that didn't apply to my situation. When I got to the part of telling her that I have a hard time breathing, she asked again, "How long have you had bad breath?" Then Lon, Jimmy and I started cracking up. How better to translate that I have a hard time breathing than to say that I have bad breath?! Now, mom - don't worry - there is a language barrier but Jimmy has been with us most of the time to translate. We will be okay.

So, Lon has learned a few Chinese phrases that he says to everyone we see. They are:
Nehow - hello
Wo I knee - I love you
Wo me tol fu - God bless you
shi she - thank you
Now, when we see someone who knows us they immediately say, "Wo me tol fu!" Everyone gets a pretty good laugh out of Lon.

Well, we love you! Thank you for your kind e-mails. We surely feel loved!
~Lon and Sheryl