Name Change

I figured I should change the name of this blog because, it'll probably last well after Taiwan, when who knows where I'll be.

Sick on an Island

A side-effect of being a teacher is constantly being bombarded by germs from little kids.  Unless you have a strong immune system, you will get sick.  I, unfortunately, became a victim to the constant bombardment of sickness and coughing from small little asian munchkins.  Just as the Conquistadors gave smallpox to the indigenous people of The New World, the Taiwanese students are giving the foreigners an "Asian sickness."

Who knows what it really is, I don't think the doctors really know.  But, in the past month I've been constantly sick.  Suffering from things I've never had before, such as allergies in my eyes.  Once I conquered that, I started suffering from what I think is either tonsillitis or an acute sore throat.  But since Jennifer had tonsillitis last week, I'm going to bet, she gave it to me.  To cure this, I will have to see the doctor, which is no easy task.

Seeing a doctor, cheap as it may be, is not easy.  In order to go to the doctor, in my case, I need Jennifer as I don't trust any of the doctors' knowledge of English enough for them to make decisions that could make my health suffer even more.  Therefore, I need a Jennifer Wu, which is difficult because we have different work schedules.  Other than that, that is it.

Upon arriving at a doctor's office, I take a number and wait in line as if I'm waiting to be served meat at a grocery store.  Now Serving Number: 35.  While waiting in this room of death and disease whereby everyone has covered themselves with a mask to ward off any disease, I sit and hope that I don't contract some rare Asian illness while waiting.

When it is finally my turn to see the Doctor, I sit on the chair.  He asks some questions to my interpreter and she responds with the correct answers.  I hope that nothing was lost in translation.  While the doctor is trying to figure out what is wrong with me, he has my "try" out some medicine.  However, it isn't offered in the way you'd expect it to.  In addition to, spraying medicine down my throat, the doctor also sprays medicine into my nostrils.  Quite the experience.

After the diagnosis is complete, he throws me out of the room, where I find the receptionist who gives me my medicine.  The medicine, does it come in a bottle with its name on it?  No it doesn't.  It comes in the form of pre-packaged groups of multi-colored pills that are taken throughout the day.  I also have no idea what they are, it could be arsenic for all I know.  And sometimes the side-effects are weird, too.  For example: a friend of mine was sick a couple months ago, he saw the doctor, he was taking his pills and as a result, his urine was different colors.  

This is Taiwan