Many of the international students have expressed concerns about accessing the Chinese health system.

My experience must not be typical.

My first experience was a result of a sudden drop in my BGLs (Blood Glucose Levels).  I was in class and asked my teacher where I should go.  He insisted I go to the Qilu Hospital.  It is associated with the Shandong University.

When I arrived I went to the information desk and asked for help.  The person behind the counter asked me in English to follow her.  We went to the Emergency Section.  My BGL was taken.  The only differential between Qilu and the RAH in Oz was that I had to pay in cash for the test.  I was then taken to a treatment/ assessment room.  A doctor who had some English was summoned and he asked about past history.  When he saw my results, his jaw dropped and he sprang into action.  He prescribed a drip and another medication.  At the cashiers window I paid for the prescription.  It was a very small amount. I was taken to a transfusion room, where a drip was attached.  When it was completed I indicated this to a staff member in Green.  This caused some confusion.  I later found out that she was a doctor.  A few minutes later I had the drip removed and I was discharged to find my way home.

The major difference I saw between Australia and China was that each patient was accompanied by at least one other person.  These people were the ones who paid for the tests etc and spent time negotiating on behalf of the patient.  In fact many of the stalls and small shops in the district cater for these people.  There are closed cell sleeping mats, small folding camp style chairs, basins, and arrangements of fruit baskets readily available…….

Medical Mk 2 coming soon.

 We all know China is going through a huge growth spurt. As with humans there are growing pains. In Jinan, like other cities, land for development is scarce.

One of the answers is to demolish older buildings to make room for the new. All through the city there are older multistorey buildings being demolished. The BLF would have apoplexy in the building trade here. Many workers reside on site. They live in large ex military tents. These are heavily insulated against the cold. They have the advantage that as the site is demolished so they can move across the site.

The only method I have seen for demolition is by large front end loaders. Initially they use heavy jackhammer heads to break a part of the building down. The next phase is for the bucket to pick up the large chunks of masonry and then drop them on other chunks. Eventually the building ends up as just a pile of small fist size lumps.

I am not sure if the debris is used as aggregate in new buildings like in OZ. Certainly as much metal as possible is salvaged, sorted and then sent off to be recycled. To ensure that there is no down time with the machinery, this is done while they break down the chunks. Men rush into each dropped bucket load. They gather what materials they can. These are then thrown onto the correct pile. About once a week a truck comes and carts away the collected material. To expedite this each building site seems to have its own weighbridge.

This was once an old three storey apartment block. notice the metal collectors.

I did not see one worker wearing a hard hat. Some wore hi-visibility tops, most did not. Each site has a token steel fence around it. This is often demolished along with the shop fronts. The system is fairly efficient as approximately a quarter of a city block has been demolished using this method since I have arrived.

In my wanders around the town I have been amazed by the contrasts.

I have decided that I am going to do a photo collection of the entrances to various apartment blocks.  These range from large intricate iron gates to simple arches to just two plain pillars.

One such entrance near the fancy resturant

On the street there are some beggars.  The same ones are always in the same place each day.  They all seem to have some form of disability.  One beats out a rough rhythm with a tin pot.  Another sits on the pavement where everyone can see his disability, if fact sometimes you almost need to step over him because of the crowds on the street.

All the people I have met seem to be very friendly.  Often walking down the street you see people who are looking at you. A simple nod, smile or wink is returned with a beaming smile or a small nod with a greeting.

Recently one of the international students needed shoes repaired.  I took her shoes to the cobbler I have mentioned previously.  A number of men came around and tried to engage in conversation with the cobbler and I.  When he was nearly finished resoling the shoe I asked for the heels to be done as well.  The men standing around made comments to suggest the cobbler raise his prices for the Australian.  He steadfastly refused and charged what was appropriate considering the agreed price for the soles.

I am off to the other campus early tomorrow, so must go and get my beauty sleep

What does your heart desire?  I am sure somewhere on the pavements or roads around Jinan there is a street peddler who can supply what you want.

Tonight I watched an owner and 4 generations working the same stall.  The whole stall fitted on the back of one of the many mini electrical trucks.  The tray would be about 1.5m long by 1 m wide.  On top of this they had added a platform about 2m x2m.  The wife was kneading the dough.  The grandmother (with baby on her back) was separating the kneaded dough into portion size.  The father then flattened them into round flat loaves (8cm diameter) applied various toppings and cooked them in a wood fired tandoori style BBQ.  He saw me watching and smiled.  On my way home I stopped and bought one.  He remembered me an indicated I should choose a different one.  It was dipped in sesame seeds.  It was warm and toasty with layers of air trapped in the middle.  This cost Y1 ($AUD 0.15).

A little further along there was a towel stall.  The terry towelling ranged in size from about 20cm square to bed sized ones.  I found out today that some use this size as a top sheet in summer.  At the back of the stall was a toddler with a sippy cup.  She would take mouth full and then squirt into a pattern in the dust.  She kept a watch out at her parents to be sure they did not see.

On the same street there is a stall that sells gold fish of varying sizes.  They are kept in a number of poly boxes like broccoli is stored in Australia.  The water is kept cycling with a complicated series of pipes and pumps.  I am not sure how she packs up about 15 boxes at the end of the day.

Next door to her stall is a luggage salesman.  He would have 30 different sizes and designs of suitcases.  He spends his time frantically dusting them.  His stall is situated between a demolition site and the road.  He actually has one line of bags on the roadway.

Further up the street is a fluffy toy seller.  He works out of his car.  Inside it there appears to be no room to sit and drive let alone be a passenger.  The bonnet, roof and boot are also packed high with allsorts of stuffed animals.  They range in size from 10cm to over 2m.  How he keeps them clean in the street environment I don’t know

I saved my favourite stall till last.  They sell nothing but pocket knives.  They know me by name because I always stop and have a look at their ever-changing stock.  I showed them my pocket knife and got very condescending looks.  They then dived under the stall and came up with a small sharpener.  It cost me Y2.  So we were all happy.

I will have to use a post to describe all of the various fast food stalls that are available.  I will have to sample them all first in the spirit of research of course :-)!!

My first foray into the back lanes of Jinan was near one of the bus depots.  There were a large number of fruit, newspaper, and things on stick vendors at the mouth of the narrow street.  These gave way to small shops that sold steamed dumplings and cooked in the wok foods.  As I was not hungry I ventured further.

My path became narrower and the paving slowly disintegrated.  It was here that I realised that the buildings surrounding me were actually homes of Jinanese.  An old couple sitting catching the weak sun through the pollution greeted me.  They indicated for me to join them.  So we sat in silence enjoying each other’s company. A little further along the lane a small rectangle of cardboard displayed some metal clips and office supplies.  Rounding the corner I came across a stall holder who was selling some cleaning supplies.  As I needed a broom for my room I bought a small brush made of twigs and reeds.  The squalor of the buildings belied the smiles, friendliness, and cleanliness of the people.

Wandering at will off the beaten track, I heard the sound of happy children.  Following the sound I came across primary School number 2.  The children were still streaming out the doors.  Groups would divide off and head for the numerous street stalls.  The most popular was one that sold lollies of all description with a token lot of pencils and school supplies.  The children and stall owner were smiling and chatting, while two children in the school uniform were serving the eager customers.  The stall owner reserved the right to sell what looked like trading cards.

Children are the same world over; they invent games to amuse themselves.  There were two large concrete blocks in a triangle of land formed by the lanes.  The children were trying to push each other of the blocks.  Another group had put their jackets on back to front and were terrifying (?) each other as scary monsters.  Unfortunately the darker side of children could also be seen.  The bully was giving a smaller boy a hard time until he noticed me watching.  He abruptly dropped his victim and walked off.

Wandering on I came across a small store that sold household items.  With gestures and some drawing I eventually found what I was looking for.  It was a small steel cooking pot.  On further investigation it also contained a lid that could be used as a bowl and an insert that could be a plate. It cost me Y6.  Later that day I was in the COSTCO store and there I found the same item selling for Y14.

At the end of another lane I came across a palatial restaurant.  There was an armed guard by the black shiny vehicles.  There were two young women dressed like English doormen who greeted the patrons as they arrived.

There appear to be three distinct realities for the non student residents of Jinan.  The first being the ultra secure enjoying their almost ritzy dining environment.  Secondly there are the upwardly mobile middle class who tend to shop at the various super and hyper markets.  The reality for many others is the street vendor of greengroceries, the small corner shops and home in many of the multi-storeyed apartment blocks

When you arrive in a new city there are always things you forgot to bring or decided to get once you are there.  Our Shandong Buddy took Lewis (from Manchester) and I to top up supplies and to see some of the highlights of the city.

We went and got SIM cards for our OS phones.  Lewis had one that worked with his Iphone, unfortunately the SIM did not fit my phone.  Next day back to get it refunded.  No major dramas once we found the resident English speaker.  She was the most fluent speaker I have met outside the staff of the University.  We were chatting while my refund was being processed and she advised me to buy a phone outright, but not from her company there were many better deals to be had.  On the street I saw advertisements for phones significantly less than her company.  On entering one shop to look  I was shadowed by three staff who had just been standing around.  When they realised that I could speak virtually no Chinese, they called in Bruce.  Even though it was his day off he came in and sold me the type of phone I wanted.  When I was short Y 50 he dropped the price even further.  I tried to transfer all my contacts and apps from my OZ phone it just did not work.  So back to Bruce who with advice and suggestions from all the staff was able to transfer my contacts.  When I suggested that he had performed above average and he should charge me for his time (in total about 3 hours) he refused.  He felt I helped his English

What all good iphones need “A wide choice of Bling!!”

I was taken to a supermarket that extended over 3 floors.  It sold everything including Gold Bullion, bargain and high end clothing, computers, and the usual foodstuffs including a number of tanks with live fish and huge frogs.  When I went back next day I found out that I should become a member to buy things there.  But this was no problem they just asked those in line who would like to use their membership to help me out.  A bit different to COSTCO!!

BTW  I have  yet to find butter or margarine in any shop or stall.  I get blank looks from the Shandong Buddies when I ask about them.

As well as all the vehicles that use the footpaths they also house a plethora of stalls and small businesses.  So far I have come across the following in my walks around town

Pineapple vendors who peel the fruit and pinch out the sharp bits in a pattern.  Each has their own pattern.

A cobbler sitting on a stool about 10cm high, as was his fashionably dressed customer.

A bicycle mechanic who also sells electricity for the e-bikes.  His shop was about one square meter and was packed with tools and parts.

Clothing stalls that have taken over the yet un-demolished parts of buildings.  The lucky ones get some protection from the demolition by having the floor above still intact.  Some are not so lucky.

A greengrocer who also had a consignment of electrical kettles he wanted me to buy.  The other stall owners in this section were playing cards.  A really complicated trump and follow suite game that also included some cards deliberately cut in half length wise.  If a customer came to a stall the owner would get up and serve.  One of the others standing around would play his hand until he returned.  I declined the offer to try!!

Following a line of pineapple, chestnut, and things on sticks vendors I ended up in one of the back streets of the older part of town.  That will be the subject of another post.

Like the magpie my brain jumps from one thing to another.

The campus of Shandong that I call home is about a good twenty minutes walk from the Cathedral.  The Campus is by itself at least 5 times the Adelaide one.  Being winter there are very few trees with leaves.  Many have been wrapped in plastic, straw, rope, or covered with the same poly material from which bags are made.  Tia Chi in the morning.  I have not been brave enough to ask if I can join a group. A very impressive Gymnasium.  The school of fencing is next door to it. It is very flat terrain.  From the Foreign Students Complex (read dorm) it is a solid 15 min walk to the main gate.  The number of electrical bicycles, electric 3 wheeled trucks (glorified Motor bikes) means that the noise on campus is quiet (so far)  Those cars that are  petrol or diesel are also much quieter than in OZ.

Grey and Red.

What is not grey is red!! Well that is a bit of an exaggeration.  The buildings all have a patina of grey dust.  Shop signs are variations on scrolling letters or LED lights.  Red is the prominent colour.  Clothing tends to be black, brown, beige or grey thus the girls who wear tailored wool coats in red really stand out.  Washing my clothes today, it took three lots of water to hand rinse the grey out after washing.  This sound terribly boring or ABC, but it is not.  Outside the campus there is constant movement, horn blowing, cyclists, e trucks, and people.  This makes for a vibrancy of sight.  Cars stay on the road most of the time.  When they want to park they drive onto the footpath, often having done a u-turn across approximately 5.34 lanes of traffic.  The space is  shared with pedestrians, bicycles, e mopeds, e trucks and the odd pile of building rubble.  I am looking into the colourful but grey coated lap covers that are attached to many of the electric vehicles.  I think one in pink and red camouflage would look good on Jess’ scooter!! They are quilted and water and windproof.  BTW you don’t have to have a licence, helmet or registration for the electric vehicles.

Discoveries

Shopping in China’s version of COSTCO.  Walking the back lanes.  KFC.  Mr Noodles.  A shopping complex that is twice the size of the Market and has at least two stories.  These all deserve their own posts. So until next time!!

Well I  have finally got access to the internet.

I was able to book my bags all the way to Jinan.  This was a saving of considerable time.   We sat on the tarmac for 2 hours while the techoes “fixed” the air conditioning. We had a turbulent flight from Sydney with seatbelts on all the time. Couple next to me had a year old little girl.  No crying etc. A real cutie.   Arrived in China.  Walked through Customs with no concerns.  Then was directed  to the first of my Chinese queues.  Of course very few English words except transfer.  When I arrived at the front of the queue I showed my hotel reservation.  They cancelled it (I think) and handed me a pink piece of paper and told to wait over there ( by pointing).  Eventually a person came along who indicated we were to follow him.  Got put on a bus and then travelled about 20 mins.  Got out and we were at Holliday Villa Baiyun Guangzhou.

They took a copy of my passport and gave me a room number.  Pointed me in the approximate direction and then left.  Walked across a huge car park and found building D.  Then worked out the room was on 5th floor.  Eventually found my room.  Well a free room for queuing seems a fair trade.

Huge double room, TV, DVD, tea making facilities and a mahjong table.  No Fridge.  A new key to find a fridge to put my insulin in.  It ended up as held luggage in the bar fridges. Settled in and then went in search of tea.  Met a guy from UK who was starting up a boarding school in ChengYang.  Had tea with  him and a beer.  He  offered me a job at the school and asked if I knew any other Australians who might be interested.

Next morning up with the crows, free breakfast and then back to the airport.  The airport is huge but made of steel and canvas.  A really interesting building all curves and light.  Then came upon my next queue.  To go through domestic security.  BIG Drama!! The insulin vials caused a huge confab by the security people.  I had to completely unpack everything including pockets.  I showed the letter from Dr Sam.  This met with another long discussion while they waited for someone who could speak and read English.  Eventually cleared.  Sitting at the gate and suddenly everyone else stood up and walked off.  No idea why.  Then I noticed name on the indicator board looked different.  I had no idea what to do then this lady came up and started pulling at my arm to follow her.  She took me to the correct gate. In no uncertain terms told me (by actions) to sit down and shut up.  I had tried my limited chinese to thank her!! Eventually the flight was called.  Shared a row with a mother and her 4-year-old who was just learning to talk English.  Gave her a five cent coin.  She then dived into the pocket of her down jacket and gave me a “Gold” Chocolate coin.  Taught her ten little monkeys jumping on the bed.  She then “taught me ten little indian”.  Passed the nearly three hour flight easily!

Arrived in Jinan.  Saw the arm grabbing woman, who gave me a shy smile.   Waited for my bags. Collected same and followed everyone out of the terminal.  At the  door was stopped by an official and had to show my bag tags and passport.  Eventually found my transport to the University, about 40 mins from airport.  Got checked in and unpacked.

Next instalment soon