Inside out
(The x-ray from my Chinese medical exam)
This is quite a personal portrait I suppose, but since I was ‘normal’ on pretty much all categories, I see no reason why you shouldn’t have a look. This x-ray was taken in the first week of being here in June and many tests were conducted at high speed culminating in a five page booklet I had never seen until yesterday. It was released to me so that I could produce it in favour of an interview for a teaching position here and since it’s been raining for two days solid, that’s about all I have to offer!
On a completely separate note, since there is no accompanying image for this spiel; I have been struck many times by the kindness and generosity of the Chinese people since I’ve been here; it seems like a generalised statement, but I assure you, my experiences have been generally positive. A wonderful example is of Ying and I running out of cash in the supermarket whilst paying for our goods (but it wasn’t too much Jet Li shampoo, honest). After picking various items out of our shopping to bring the total cost down to little effect, I darted for the cash machines nearby leaving Ying looking very awkward indeed. It was a rather embarrassing situation, but a lady from the queue next door had been parley to the whole exchange; she leaned over to lend Ying a 50 RMB note (about £5) so he could at least get out of the way of the now exasperated crowd behind us. We waited for her to finish paying for her shopping and whilst thanking her profusely, returned her money using the crisp new Mao embellished notes I had extracted from the machine. It was such a relief to be whisked out of a mortifying circumstance that had been gradually drawing more attention to our foreign ineptitude with simple tasks.
I’m always flushed with a pride in humanity when I’m lucky enough to bump into these people; so many scrapes of mine have been avoided merely due to the kindness of strangers.
you have a beautiful way with words, it’s inspiring and magical
[...] my chest. That’s right readers – but some of you might remember it was not particularly saucy, just an x-ray for my Chinese medical. Whilst I’m not keen on seeing my head in profile, I think if you can see my brain and inner [...]