Mon 9/16/02: Drugs and Laundry

Will and Ruby had to get up and leave early to go sightsee with M&D. I saw them out and went back to bed and had to go to the clinic for my followup at 9:30. The doc was late and didn’t start calling numbers until 9:45, and I was #28 so by the time I was called I was debating whether it was worth going to class at all. I’d spoken too soon about no waiting times in Taiwan—hadn’t waited at all the first day since I’d actually gone to their ER.

The doctor asked “[What’s wrong?]” I said “[Nothing]” and he said “Eh?” Then he realized he’d seen me before: “[Ah, you’re that foreign girl.]” He looked at the drugs left in my packets and asked why I hadn’t been eating them, and didn’t listen as I tried to explain I was only now eating them when I felt like I needed to, as he’d instructed. He immediately wrote me out more prescriptions, even though I didn’t feel like I needed any, but he didn’t seem to hear. Had to buy them downstairs and it was another few bucks.

By now it had been a 1 ½ hour ordeal and I would only make the last half hour of class, but I went, announcing I’d been in the hospital and showing the teacher my receipt. Stella waited for me after class and asked if I was OK, I told her about the sucky weekend and she asked me to lunch but I said better not, she laughed and said “Just have XiFan” (soupy rice)

That evening, determined I couldn’t put it off any longer, I went in search of a laundromat. Asked the doorman who didn’t know of any, then he buzzed me after a couple hours to tell me there was one in an alley next to SOGO but he didn’t know what it was like. I set out with my Europe backpack full of clothes and went down the lane, a hidden thing with small shops (lingerie, must check out later) and eateries and it didn’t look like any laundromat would be there.

Then I saw a small shop with ONE large washing machine in front and a sign where I could pick out Wash and Clothing. I looked in and saw a middle aged woman and what looked like her son, among a lot of sewing machines and clothing. It looked closed, but I opened the door and asked uncertainly, “[Can wash clothes here?]” She said “[Yes, what kind, dry or blah blah cleaned?]”

“[Um, not dry.]”

“[This isn’t self-blah blah, you leave it here and we wash for you]”. I asked if there were any of those self blah-blahs around they said no, so I asked price and they said “[It costs 40 per blah blah weight]” so I took my clothes out, he put them in a large plastic bag and balanced it precariously on the small platform of the scale. He said it’d be 260. Though I thought it a bit steep I was at the point where the convenience won me over, and they said I can pick it up tomorrow night.

Tues. 9/17

I aced the TingXie quiz which is where the teacher says four sentences including our new vocabulary words and we must write them. In cooking class we learned fried fish sticks and fried string beans Szechuan style. The teacher likes fried and Szechuan and keeps telling us to add more salt, soy sauce and oil. No wonder she’s plump. This time I was grouped with the Australian girl and found out she’s been here 3 semesters and leaving after this one and can’t wait to go home. The people going home soon all seem so happy and it’s not encouraging. I get sympathetic clucks when I tell them I just started a 10-month stint. Yet I’m enjoying it here and don’t feel homesick pains. I miss people, of course Dave, and some food (pizza!) but don’t miss America in general.

The best part of class, eating. The worst part, cleaning up. After several pieces of fried fish I remembered I wasn’t supposed to be eating this stuff. The words of my doctor were no MaiDanLao (McD’s) or KenTuJi (KFC) or any of that kind of stuff. By now I was sporadically eating the meds, not remembering what each was for and just guessing what the labels say. Anyway they must be weak doses because they’re all 3x a day or 2x a day.

That night I went to pick up the laundry and it wasn’t done yet so I had to wait, but it was a good job, folded and not wrinkled and they’d gotten lots of stains out, and I think worth it, but still I may do more handwashing now.

Jonathan K called and out of blue asked if I wanted to have dinner this week, I was glad to hear from a Fulbrighter finally and asked him all sorts of questions about the others and what he’s up to. Turns out he sees other Fulbrighters every so often and says “it’s his only social circle”. Haskell, another junior scholar, is his roommate. I’m thinking what the? Why haven’t I been aware of this social circle? I had written a mass email and gotten no response and had just about written them all off as complete deadbeats. We planned for Thursday. He only lives one stop north of me on FuHsing Rd.

I watched most of a cheesy but cute Penelope Cruz movie where she’s a cook with bad motion sickness and her husband cheats on her but begs her back when she becomes famous. W&R got back around 10:30 just when Ama called and was asking about them and worried they weren’t back yet. They sounded like they’d seen some interesting things in Hualien but were exasperated at Dad for letting them miss the train, getting lost, etc etc. typical Dad things, and were on their original plan to fly home tomorrow instead of extend a day (probably the trip had something to do with this decision) and sounded quite glad about it. Will says his next vacation will be something he’d “really enjoy”, like a national park and hiking. He wrapped up like a mummy on the floor. Ruby was already asleep.