Apr 2, 2011 |
Me: Who’s the President of China?
Rachel (my amazing 7 year old): That’s right.
Me: What do you mean, “that’s right”? I said who’s the President of China?
Rachel: Exactly.
Me: (frustrated) Exactly what?!! WHO IS THE PRESIDENT OF CHINA?
Rachel: Yes! Hu is the President of China!
Me: THAT’S WHAT I’M ASKING YOU!!
Rachel: No, DAD! You don’t get it. The President of China’s name is Hu! Like your name is Jones. His name is Hu. H – U . . . Hu. Not W – H – O. It’s Hu. That’s his name!
Me: (proud that we got as far as we did) Honey, it’s funnier if you don’t throw that part in there.
Rachel and I have been working on our comedy routine since she was three. Still needs some fine tuning but there’s talk of an HBO special. It’s one of the things we love to do on a Daddy-Daughter Date and Daddy-Daughter Dates are one of my favorite things in the world. It’s not just because she’s a cheap date (although that doesn’t hurt). I love DDD’s because at 7, she loves them even more than I do. I’ve heard the rumors about what happens to kids when they become teenagers and as of right now Rachel is forbidden to turn 13. For now I’m marinating in the fact that she still thinks I’m cool . . . and funny . . . and would choose me over any guy in the world (unless he had a DSI [Google it if you don’t know] and hey . . . fair enough).
You rarely see an affectionate Daddy Daughter relationship in China. Father’s love their girls but it’s just not very mainstream Chinese culture to show affection or encouragement once they pass the toddling stage. That’s why I have so much respect for my good friend Yu Lao Shi (Teacher Yu). He crushes the mold of the Chinese father stereotype. His only daughter just started college this year and more than any Chinese father I have met he is not afraid to let her know that she is his pride and joy. He’s not sappy sweet or big on PDA and as far as I know they don’t yet have a comedy routine but when I told him I take Rachel on dates he couldn’t wait to go ask his daughter out. It must be working because when she comes home from school she wants to hang out with him which coincidentally is my greatest hope for Rachel. Scratch that . . . would be my greatest hope if I had any intention of ever letting her leave the house.
The beautiful side-note is that Teacher Yu is impacting Chinese parents and families in a way that both affirms and transcends culture. He challenges them to look beyond what feels natural and love their kids openly and vulnerably . . . and they do. Pretty cool guy. Just ask his daughter.
So here’s our new routine . . .
Rachel: Hey dad, who’s your favorite dad in China?
Me: You mean besides me?
Rachel: Of course besides you.
Me: Yu
Rachel: Me?
Me: No Yu.
Rachel: That’s what I said . . . me?
Me: No, not You. Yu.
Rachel: I’m not a dad!! WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE DAD IN CHINA?!
Me: No. He’s the president. Yu is my favorite dad in China.
Rachel: I IS?!
Me: No. Yu is.
Rachel: Oh . . . I get it. Yu is his name huh?
Me: (proud)
Mar 18, 2011 |
Had an interesting discussion on the bus today. Here are the questions in question:Part One: Are different races different beyond appearance?
In other words, is there any evidence that one ethnic people group is genetically predisposed to a specific activity. Are Asians better at math? Can Kenyans run faster? Can white men jump? Or can all of these ideas be explained away by more nurture based reasoning like study regimens, work ethic and numerical systems, lung capacity from higher elevation and . . . why is it that white men can’t jump?
Part Two: If you said yes, are you racist?
The idea of one race being better than another has fueled centuries of really bad ideas such as (but certainly not limited to) holocaust, genocide, slavery and imperialism. Has the constant barrage of racially charged news items created a culture of hypersensitivity or is it just best to tread lightly (or not at all) considering a long history of atrocities and deplorable acts carried out in the name of hate . . . or ignorance . . . or fear? Is it harmful or disrespectful to assume differences beyond mere appearance or is it ok to say “different” without saying “better”?
What do you think?
Mar 16, 2011 |
Like so much of the world our hearts are shattered for Japan this week. Disaster has a way of breaking otherwise unbreakable barriers and exposing what we once thought was most significant as small, petty and irrelevant. Wealth, prestige, political agendas, even deep seated, generations old prejudices are all smashed on a level playing field when thousands of people die.
China hates Japan. Ok, that’s an intentionally overstated generalization but there are a LOT of hard feelings in this part of the world. I have watched some of the sweetest, gentlest, most loving Chinese people I know grow fangs and spit venom at the mere mention of Japan. It’s a hatred that dates back decades but it’s a grudge that many are unwilling to let time heal. And yet, this week, even China has a shattered heart.
It’s a shock for us Western folk who thought that Japanese and Chinese were pretty much the same people but just a hint for future travelers . . . NOT the same.
Take a look at the pictures below. Two elderly gentlemen, one Chinese and the other Japanese. They may look very much the same to you but they couldn’t be more different at their core. They have a different heritage, speak a different language and have watched history unfold from very different perspectives, most likely pledging allegiance to clashing ideals. Given their age it might even be safe to say that if they had met at any point in the last 60 years there would be much swearing if they were in a good mood. One picture was taken this week in the aftermath of the earthquake/tsunami and the other was taken in 2008 following the South China earthquake that killed more than 70,000 people. Can you tell or do they look the same to you? I kind of wonder if maybe this week . . . they feel the same too.
Think you know? Leave your answer as a comment first and then click the links to find out. No cheating.
Mar 8, 2011 |
Four years ago I got a root canal . . . kind of. Did you know that your tooth can have more than one canal and consequently more than one root and consequently still hurt like a booger even after a root canal? Long story short my $36 root canal consisted of yanking a raw nerve from my mouth hole with zero effective novocaine and then strategically placing a filling on top of two other raw nerves in the same tooth. For four years, I haven’t eaten on the right side of my mouth, nor have I been in the same room as a dentist without curling into a fetal position. Until now.
So what did my new Chinese dentist have to say about the other Chinese dentist when she saw the x-ray of my botched, four year old dental work? “It was not done well.”
This Christmas Eve my wife sliced her hand on an open can of mushrooms (I know, gross right?). In medical terms it was flat out nasty. We made a quick trip to the ER so the doctor could, in the stitching process, put a needle through her tendon and cinch up a previously undisturbed nerve with zero effective anesthetic. We wouldn’t know this, however, until a second surgeon would reopen the wound, release the nerve and tendon and sew together another nerve that had been 80% severed by the mushroom can lid in a state of the art, absolutely cutting edge (no pun intended) surgery. Before that all she knew was it hurt . . . like a booger.
So what did the second Chinese surgeon have to say about the first Chinese surgeon when she saw the stitches? “Oh my God!” (Her words, not mine).
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BEFORE: LaWanda’s hand following the first set of stitches
that also pulled a nerve and tendon together. 6 stitches
“cha bu duo” (give or take). |
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| AFTER: Following sugery. 20 some stitches. |
Health care, like everything, is changing rapidly in China. The empty half of the glass hurts (very much like a booger). It is overcrowded, substandard hospitals with less than hygienic surroundings, oversized smoking areas and potentially under-qualified medical staff, often driven by saving face instead of patient care. However, I think it is safe to say that ten years ago we would have been hard pressed to find a doctor or a dentist to fix our earlier mishaps and we have ten good (or at least non-eventful) medical stories for every one horror story. So keep it up China. You’re moving in the right direction in more ways than one.
Anyone else got an interesting, international medical story?
Mar 8, 2011 |
note: this blog was originally posted in March of 2007 following what turned out to be a 25% successful dental procedure. It was also written before U.S. healthcare was declared a civil war. I have reposted as a partner to my next post: China’s Changing Health Care.
I have found the answer!
Ready for this . . . Here it is . . . Move to China. Simple as that. I have crossed over into a new world of dental, health care options. No long hours in the waiting room just walk right in, take a seat and bzzzzzzzzzzz root canal!
The entire process took about three weeks, each one a little less painful that the previous and the final bill . . . that’s right . . . 36 bucks. Granted there were a few teeny tiny downside details like that shot of novocaine that, with frightening precision, numbed the entire right side of my face except the actual tooth and corresponding nerve which were then drilled and impaled with a scrapy, picky tool. The bad however, was far outweighed by the priceless education of the whole experience. For instance, it took me no time at all to learn the Chinese words for RRRAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!! THAT HURTS!! and did you know that if the little spit sucker thing doesn’t work you can stuff a patients mouth with cotton balls to sop up the puddle of saliva pooling in the back of his throat? Seriously . . . I never knew that.
So, I hate to come off like an insurance salesman but if you’re tooth hurts but you’re worn out with the mind numbing nightmare of hmo’s, inadequate copays and the endless political debate surrounding it all . . . call your travel agent right now (don’t wait) grab 36 bucks and some novocaine if you’ve got it and we’ll pick you up at the airport.
Just one quick disclaimer for integrity’s sake. The picture above, although strikingly similar to my experience, is not actually me. I cannot tell you how much I wanted to pull out my camera phone and snap a picture but I just couldn’t get up the nerve. Must have been the novocaine. Oh wait.
Me: Who’s the President of China?
