05/30/11: 13:52, Location: Death Floor, Mennonite Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan

Currently on my lunch break at the hospital and chilling with a cup of black coffee. Haven't done much yet today -- helped prepare gauze bandages and sang for patients in the waiting room. The epicness usually doesn't start until 2 PM.

Dr. Liu drove me to the hospital yesterday. I had no idea what to expect. Then everything happened at once. Pastor Chao took me to the Volunteer department to fill out some paperwork. They handed me a nametag and a volunteer vest. I was like "Aww..man." I thought I got away with not wearing either. The director was like "Now, before we get to work...you need to put this on." Crap. The early part of the morning, I helped stuff envelopes with vouchers. As I was doing so, I heard my Dad's voice in my head. "I don't want you to fly half-way around the world just to do volunteer work you could do at home...you better make sure you're not passing out flyers or something dumb like that." Luckily, before I started really freaking out, Pastor Chao swooped in and rescued me. We took a brief tour of the hospital which consists of four buildings -- Grace, Mercy, Faith, and Peace. Pastor Chao's office is on the fourth floor in the Faith building, the only building that has a fourth flour. In Chinese, the word for "four" sounds the same as the word for "death" so most buildings in Taiwan do not have a fourth floor. Sounds Louis Sacharesque, no?


I can now say I stared death in the face...and fed it porridge. OK, that's a little messed up. What I'm trying to say is, I got to help spoon-feed extremely old people at the hospital nursing home. Pastor Chao just hands me a bowl of nasty looking porridge and she's like "FEED (point)!" There were four old people lined up in large feeding chairs, complete with tables and towel around neck. She shows me how it's done on the next old man over, proclaiming loudly " GRANDPA! IT'S TIME TO EAT. (feed) SO GOOD! GOOD!" Being a naturally timid person, I politely brought my spoon close to grandma's mouth and asked, "Are you hungry?" Pastor Chao rectified this situation immediately. She thrust my spoon against Grandma's lips, "She can't see, you have to touch her lip with the spoon so she knows it's there". The first spoonful went great. I waited for her to chew..or..gum..or whatever. A minute goes by, she's still going at it. Then five. "Uhh..Pastor Grace? Is something stuck in her mouth?" She comes over. "Oh, some of the old people can't control their jaws. They just do that. Go ahead and feed her another spoonful." I had poor old grandma waiting blindly for the next bite for FIVE MINUTES. D: I am an AWFUL person!! All joking aside, feeding the elderly was a great learning experience in terms of patient care. You have to be sensitive to everything. For example, Pastor Grace looked at the bowl Grandpa was stirring, and she's like "Why is it so hot?" Poor Grandpa sticks the bite in his mouth and promptly spits it out. Comical, but SAD. We then spend the next few minutes stirring the porridge and blowing on it to cool it down. I learned how to gauge the temperature of the food by touching the back of my finger to the spoon. I felt kind of silly at the beginning because I couldn't tell when Grandma was ready for the next bite. And unlike all the other nurses who were comfortable speaking to the patients, I felt it might be belittling to speak to them like children. However, I found that speaking to them and announcing things like "READY FOR ANOTHER BITE?!? GOOD!!" told Grandma when the next spoonful was coming. Then, I learned how to read her face. Even though her jaw always moved in a gentle chewing motion, she would stick her tongue out a little to signify she was ready for the next bite.

At first, I felt awkward feeding and speaking to the elderly like they were babies. Then, Pastor Chao informed me that sometimes the hospital is short-staffed. In order to feed them all, staffs rush the feeding process, thrusting spoonful after spoonful into the mouths of the elderly. Maybe Grandma was THANKFUL for that five-minute rest between bites. haha. This was an experience I definietly hope to repeat.

In the afternoon, I got to "shadow" a nurse. Literally. I was all up on her like white on rice. Her name is Xiu Zhen and she is the COOLEST THING EVER. She's like "OK. Follow me." Then I proceeded to run after her as she gave me the fastest tour ever --" This is the changing station, this is the pantry, this is the soiled room, this the sink, this is where me put used sheets, this is where we get clean ones, this is where we eat, this is the bathroom, this is the teleportation device where we get medicine, this is where we keep the medicine, this is how we administer medicine..." Then, WITHOUT PAUSE, she waltzes into a patient's room. There's a curtain pulled around the bed that reads "Treatment in progress. Do not enter." Naturally, I wait outside. She comes back out, "We need to find a bedpan." I trip after her as she goes up and down the aisle, peeking into each room to find the elusive bedpan. A cleaning lady passing by said, "There's two in that room over there." We enter the room, only to discover that the bedpans are in the bathroom...which is occupied. The lady inside says, and I transiquote, "I'm taking a dump. Give me five minutes." Xiu Zhen says real dramatic-like, "We don't have five minutes." Then she grabs me and heads toward the nursing station. She grabs an adult diaper and heads off to the patients room. Again, I wait outside the curtain. She peeks outside the curtain and says sternly "Come". I obey. "This is how we put on an adult diaper." And before I can say "WOAH, WHAT?", she whisks off the blanket and proceeds to educate me. I exaggerate a little, but seriously, Xiu Zhen put that thing on in like 1 minute flat. She was courteous and gentle, and more importantly, skilled. That's the difference between Taiwan and America. The patient didn't even blink that there was a strange girl wearing an ugly volunteer vest watching. In America, he would have sued for an arm and a leg. When she's finished, the patient thanks her and we step out. Xiu Zhen explains that he had just come out of a stomach surgery and can't stand up to use the facilities. In my head, all I heard was "THAT WAS TOTALLY AWESOME."

Following a nurse around is totally different from shadowing a doctor. It's a whole level up. We actually had to do things. haha. In the two hours that I spent with Xiu Zhen, we delivered meds, changed bedsheets, helped patients get into/out of bed, discharged patients, and even carred an unruly, drunk admitted patient into the bed. By the time Xiu Zhen got off work, I was dead tired. She laughs and says, "When I get home, the first thing I do is sleep. Then I wake up and watch TV before sleeping again." She starts the day at 7:30 AM. Nurses are my new heroes.


After Xiu Zhen left, I was left in the care of an grim-looking orderly who had me stapling forms for 2 hours. That was decidedly less glorious. However, today I will meet the lady who brought Daniel around when he came two years ago. Apparently, I'm supposed to call her "Jie" (older sister) to get on her good side. She reportedly knows how to show interns/volunteers a good time. I can't wait.

On my way to back to Pastor Chao's office, I totally got lost. I ended up walking up/down more than 10 flights of stairs. I got the inkling that I was hopefully lost when I found myself in front of a sign that read "MORGUE". The Psycho theme started playing in my head. haha

At 5 PM, I helped take Pastor Chao's kid, Melody, to do see Dr Liu (The Dentist) downstairs. She is the funniest/cutest kid EVER. Her nickname around the hospital is "Demon Child". Apt. haha. I remember her being terrifying, but I think that age has mellowed her...a little bit. She's so brave! During the examination, the dentist announces, "You have two cavities." and proceeds to drill straightaway. I'm grimacing and twitching all over the place and the kid gets up, grins, and says "Not bad. Comfortable." Beast.

When we leave the hospital, Pastor Chao's like "I'll get the motorcycle." I'm like, "Say what?" The three of us then squeeze onto her poor little motorcycle. I had my doubts but they evolved into straight up fear when she kicks off into incoming traffic. I had parts of me vibrating and jiggling that I had no idea existed.

For dinner, she takes me to a newly opened Japanese restaurant. She's always wanted to try it but there's always a line. We had about forty-five minutes until Melody had Math class. We get to the front of the store and Pastor Chao literally throws the kid off the moving motorcycle and says "Check if there's a line". Miraculously, there were exactly three seats open. The food was heavenly. Thick slices of sashimi for less that $6, colorful sushi rolls, and Pastor Chao insists on ordering several appetizers. Now I've been struggling with trying to figure out when it's appropriate to attempt to pay. The first meal, my host family took us to a nice restaurant that served set meals. I was debating if I should attempt to pay, but they also treated the Pastor and Melody. I decided to postpone the inevitable scene. In a way, I kind of DID pay for the Japanese dinner. Pastor Chao didn't have any cash on her, so I spotted her 1000 NT (about $30). But...she paid me back today. Bah. The Wang in me won't let his happen! Usually I take get free bentos from the hospital for both lunch and dinner. I'm going to be here for a whole month. No way in Hell I'm going to let Pastor Grace and Dr. Liu's family pay for everything/anything. To the Cave to plan! >:[ I have already resolved to treat both families out to dinner before I leave. GRR. I hate being HOSPITALIZED...hospitalitized? Whatever.

Yesterday, I had a killer headache. Bad timing, as I had just announced to the world that I refused to dry my hair before I go to sleep because the thing about it making your head hurt was just a myth. Blast! Anyways, everytime I go to Taiwan, I end up with some sort of physical affliction. Usually it's eczema/bugbites/bloodynoses/fever/etc. This time, I have a monstrous cold sore on my lower lip. I'm not exaggerating, this thing has a life of it's own. It's red/yellow, and it refuses to pop so I can ooze it. ): I feel people judging me. Not to mention, I have not pooped since I arrived in Taiwan. Makes me miss Lester a little. I'm not worried because I don't feel uncomfortable or anything, but I've eaten a LOT since I've been to Taiwan. Makes one wonder where all that food is going. When I went to bed last night with a headache, I felt a little feverish and was getting the chills. I was like "DEAR JESUS. NOT YET." I woke up this morning still feeling a little sore, but no headache or fever as of yet. Whew, DEAR JESUS. NOT YET!

In other news, I learned how to play this Israeli number game. It's kind of reminiscent of Mahjong but less complicated. Pastor Chao says it'll ward off dementia. haha.

OK. I'm heading off to the Outpatient Clinic. At least I think that's what it's called. haha (Wai Ke). That's where Xiu Zhen works. Hopefully the new Jie Jie won't have any stapling in store for me. OH. I totally stapled myself for the first time yesterday. I was reloading the stapler, and it snapped shut when my finger was covering the opening. It looked like I was bitten by a tiny vampire.

Will update soon!

Promises

I had an awesome first day at the hospital but I came back yesterday with a massive headache. As a result, I crashed immediately upon stepping into the house. Will post about my experience soon, I promise. :)

05/29/11: 13:35, Location: In Transit, Train (4)

05/29/11: 13:35, Location: In transit, Train (4)

I’m currently on the train to Hualien. Even though I landed a little more than 24 hours ago, I feel like I’ve been in Taiwan forever. I think it’s because the weather is so nice. Usually when I’m in Taiwan, the moment I get off the plane, I feel like I begin melting. The sweating gets so bad that the insides of my elbows and knees break out in eczema. Highly unpleasant. Anyways, the weather outside right now is right up California’s alley. It’s sunny with clear skies and a pleasant cool breeze. Unheard of! I’m wondering where the hell I am and what they did to the Taiwan I know.

Whenever I stay with my grandparents, I feel like a goose being prepared for foie gras. At every meal, they insist that I “just take another piece” and if I refuse, they give me angry faces until I acquiesce. Who the heck guilt trips people into EATING? Then, after my grandmother literally divvies up every piece of food amongst the three of us , she proceeds to bring out the watermelon. When I politely decline, the Angry Face returns and she thrusts a fork at me and says gruffly “I bought this watermelon especially for you. Watermelon goes bad quickly.” GUILT. I ate watermelon. Also, the Taiwanese people have this thing where they sprinkle salt on their fruit to make it sweeter. I accept this when it comes to papayas and guavas, but WATERMELON? It’s surprisingly good when you get a lightly sprinkled piece, but occasionally you bite into a block of salt. Blegh.

At every meal, my grandpa grumbles that they should be taking me out to eat, that they’re being bad hosts. Despite my repeated reassurances that I actually prefer to eat in, my grandparents insisted that we go out to eat for my final meal in Taipei. Due to my grandpa’s limited mobility, there are usually three options when we go out to eat in Danshui – Sushi boat, Korean, or pan-fried dumplings. My sister will testify. If we have extended stays in Danshui, we will hit up these places multiple times, no joke. My grandparent’s personal favorite (to take us) is the Sushi boat. It’s more expensive by Taiwans’ standards (about $1 per dish = two pieces of nigiri or three thick slices of sashimi), and thus, more suitable for special occasions. Being the cheap Asian I am, I redirected the conversation toward the pan-fried dumplings. To be honest, I really do prefer the dumplings. Those of you who know me know I hate things cooked in water (I know, a serious personality flaw.). This dude trained in Japan for several years to learn how to make these dumplings. That’s some serious stuff right there. The skin is Q, the filling is crisp, THESE ARE LITTLE BITES OF HEAVEN. But we get there and the store is closed. DEVASTATION. My grandma folds up her (sun) umbrella and says, “Well, guess it’s sushi then.” Le sigh.

The sushi in Taiwan is way fresher than whatever you get in the States. Even though this is the McDonald’s of Sushi, the portions are healthy and the fish is amazing. Like most sushi boat places, they charge by the plate. However, all the plates are worth exactly the same price, 30 NT. Amy and I always try to eat modestly, limiting ourselves to seven plates. However, the key is to slow down at five and INSIST that you are full. This gives you a two plate buffer to satisfy the grandparents. Haha. After lunch, my grandpa peaced out to get his hair washed. Literally. He turned to me and said, “Sorry I can’t take you to the station.” and disappeared. I thought he was just going to sit down and I was following him to give him a good-bye hug, but nope. No tearful farewells for Grandpa. Just up and disappeared. Before I processed that, my Grandma ushers me onto the bus to the MRT station. I mean, who does that?!?

We get to the MRT station, and my Grandma pushes me through the gates. She’s like “BYE! (disappear)”. I swear, these people hate having me around.

OK. Right now I’m praying I’m on the right train. The things around me are getting increasingly green so I’m going to take that as a good sign. Hualien is one of the most gorgeous places in Taiwan. When I get there, the Dentists (Dr. Liu) and her husband (Prof. Liang) are going to pick me up. They’ve promised to bring a sign. I’m excited. Haha. I’ve always wanted to be one of those people with a sign waiting for them at the airport. Makes me feel important. :D

My grandpa lent me his phone to use when I’m in Taiwan. Being the vain idiot I am, I attempted to stick his SIM card into my sexy American phone. Long story short, I put the PIN code in wrong three times and I locked his SIM card. So now…no phone. I’m too ashamed to tell him what I’ve done, and now he assumes there’s something wrong with his phone. Uhh…heh? I still have it on me, I’m going to try to find this particular carrier when I’m in Hualien and have them unlock it.

Anyways, I realize I write a lot about nothing but that’s because nothing too climactic has happened in the past 24 hours. Here’s a few pictures of rural Taiwan, taken from a rolling train. The driver obligingly slowed down for us as we passed the prettier areas.

That's Green Mountain in the back...I think.
Haha. You can see the edge of my window. I was leaning over the poor girl sitting next to me.

05/28/11: 14:13, Location: Danshui, Taipei, Taiwan (3)

I've met up with my grandparents once a year for the past four years. Every year, Grandpa looks a little more haggard while Grandma is missing a few more teeth. That may sound callous, but allow me to explain. My Grandpa was a very proud, active young man. While he still is, in many ways, proud, a shattered hip and a worsening case of diabetes has literally crippled him. My childhood memories of walking as fast as I could to catch up with Grandpa while avoiding the piles of dog poo he’d cleverly step over contrast sharply with the present, where I have to stay close enough to support my hobbling grandfather while not so close so as to wound his pride. My grandmother, who my childish imagination once associated with Ursula from Little Mermaid, is stretched like butter over too much bread (Wooh, first LotR reference!), stressed out from caring for a temperamental old man who really doesn’t want to help himself. She is slowly losing her teeth because she’s afraid of the dentist, choosing instead to gently poke the loose teeth out with her tongue. At each meal, she picks out the softest things she can, grimacing whenever something is too tough for her teeth to handle. Every morning, my Grandma administers the insulin shot while my Grandpa swallows two handfuls of pills with the air of a martyr. He always jokes that he’d be the champion of any pill-swallowing contest. Just this morning, my Grandfather tells me that the pills make him depressed. I don’t want to be racist/cliché, but he reminds me of a caged tiger. His depression is contagious. Whenever he recounts tales of all the places he’s been and all the things he’s done, he ends the story with, “But now look at me.”

Every year, I see my grandparents and am moved to pray for them. They are hardcore Buddhists; they stop to “bai-bai” at every temple we pass and keep several idols in the house. They no longer own the large Buddhist shrine, something that probably had to go along with the three-story house when my Grandpa no longer could make his way up the stairs. I’m thankful that they are respectful about my religion, but I still detect the note of wariness in their voice when they tell their friends that I’m visiting for “Christian purposes”. I’m still working up the courage to ask my Grandpa if I can pray for his hip and his leg. To be perfectly honest, I’m afraid that nothing will happen and he and I will stare awkwardly at each other when it’s over. My faith is limited, but God’s power is boundless. I’m weak but He is strong. I tell myself these things every year, but in the end, I’m still human. I’ve never really prayed for nonbelievers in their hearing and this is something that’s completely outside my comfort zone. I hope that when I come back from missions, God will have tempered me with experience and given me the confidence to do all things through Him.

It’s raining on and off right now and my Grandpa keeps on apologizing that he can’t take me out. I keep on reassuring him that it’s all right, I’m not here to sightsee. It’s been a year. What I really want to do is catch up. I’ve made it a point to ask my Grandpa and Grandma separately how they’ve been doing, both physically and emotionally. Even though the answers I get typically depress me (Something I’ve learned the hard way from my parents), I feel that the act of letting it all out and giving voice to the frustrations they feel is therapeutic in a way. Still, our conversations help me to know what they need prayer for, even if I’m not yet confident enough to pray with them directly.

As you can see, I’ve discovered that there is free wi-fi in the lobby of my grandparent’s apartment building. Both retired, my grandparent’s days typically consist of sleep, meals, and social time. My Grandpa’s favorite activity is to chill in the lobby, smoke a cigarette, and make small talk with the people that pass by. My Grandma occasionally joins, but sometimes she takes this opportunity to go out and relax without the pressure and burden of my Grandpa. I believe that bad things always bring about something good, however small. My Grandpa’s injury has given him a greater sense of compassion, especially when it comes to kids. While before he never really took the time to humor children, nowadays, we always bring him a Costco bag of candies so he can distribute them (Much to the horror of these children’s parents). All the kids call him “Ah-Gong” (Grandpa in Chinese), and flock to him like locusts. It’s adorable.

Anyways, my grandparent’s live on the 13^th floor and the view from up there is amazing. I can see the Ocean and Dan Shui River from the window while simultaneously creeping on passersby below.

You can see some famous Taiwanese mountain too. (The name eludes me right now.)

What I’ve Eaten So Far:

Zhua Bing (onion pancake with soy sauce)

Watermelon, sprinkled with salt (I’m still unsure how I felt about this.)

Chicken soup with Chinese herbs (There was this thing that my Grandparents claim is “San Yao” (mountain…medicine?) but I SWEAR was just a potato.)

Starting tomorrow, I’ll try to post pictures of everything I eat. :) My train for Hualien leaves at 1:20 PM and I'll arrive there around 4 PM. I’m super excited! I have no idea what’s happening in the next month, but I just pray that it will be fruitful!

Will update soon!

05/28/11: 6:28 AM, Location: Taipei, Taiwan (2)

05/28/11: 6:28 AM, Location: Taipei, Taiwan

Just landed in Taiwan. It’s pouring sheets of rain and it’s already 70 degrees F at 6:30 AM in the morning. However, this is cool and “comfortable” by Taiwan standards (I’m quoting off the weather update billboard. I let out a very attractive snort when I walked past it). I got held back in Customs and shadily ushered into a separate corner because apparently, someone has a fake Philippines Passport under my name. Awesome. This trip is off to an auspicious start. The lady behind the counter gave me a very shifty-eyed “Sorry, the computer is running slow this morning” before a man in an official-looking uniform came to take me away. Then at the counter the dialogue went something like this.

“Do you have a Phillippines passport?”

“…What?”

“I said, do you, or have you ever, held a Phillippines passport?”

“Umm…Not that I know of.”

“Hmm…”

(Shady whisperings between official and three other officials behind desk)

“May I see your passport?”

(I hand it over)

“It’s AMERICAN.” (More whispering)

After about five minutes, they handed back my passport and said, “Just the same name.” and then they let me take the diplomat shortcut to the luggage carousel. SCORE.

I slept through most of the thirteen-hour flight. As it turns out, Seat 55 H was actually an aisle seat. Praise the Lord. I ended up sitting next to two very nice young people: one lady from Ireland who is currently working/studying in San Francisco and on her way to Bangkok to rendez-vous with her younger sisters, and one young man who is a Vietnamese international student studying at Mission College. We had very interesting conversation and I am pleased to report that only once did either of them need to step over me to use the lavatories (Unless this happened at any time while I was sleeping. Then that’d be kinda creepy.)

Right now, I’m on a bus to Yuan Shan MRT station. The ticket cost 125 NT, which is close to $4. Way cheaper than BART, that’s for sure. Then, I’ll be taking the MRT (which is the cleaner Taiwanese version of BART) to Danshui where my grandparents live. After that, I will be taking the red 38 bus up to my grandparent’s apartment. All this shall be done with me lugging around a 4 pound backpack and a 19 pound suitcase. I’m going to get so FIT in Taiwan, YES. My uncle is out of town so my grandparents were unable to pick me up. But regardless, I wouldn’t want them waking up early to take the two-hour drive down to the airport to pick me up from a flight that lands at 5:50 AM. You just don’t do that to old people. My grandma was all worried that I would get kidnapped. My Mom laughed and was far too nonchalant when she said, “No way.” I think I should be flattered by her vote of confidence. Anyways, I love traveling alone because it means that there’s no time crunch or inability to leave people behind. I can spend as much time doing whatever I want and spend as little time doing things I don’t want. I’m a speedy tourist. Haha. THIS IS SO TOTALLY AWESOME. :D

I’m going to be budgeting and tracking my expenses through this blog. It is my goal to spend as little money as possible while having as much fun as possible. My Mom said it was impossible. WATCH ME. D: Last summer, my sister and I unwittingly spent over $1000 in souvenirs and food (mostly food). I am determined to compensate this year by being as miserly as possible to myself. Still, I can’t wait to lavish my attention on the patients and students this year. One of the things I’ve been praying for the most is love. Not (just) in the romantic sense. Haha. I feel that in the past years, I’ve been operating at increasing levels of apathy with my students. This year, I hope to become so attached that I WEEP when I have to leave them. No joke. WEEP. Also, I hope to be one of those hospital volunteers who calls everyone by name and knows all their life stories. Ambitious? Yes. Possible? By God’s grace, definitely.

OK. I hope to be blogging regularly, but I won’t have internet access all the time. This may be a problem because I need to write a time-sensitive email to a professor this weekend. Still, I’ll pray for some sort of internet café or something. Anyways, I’ll probably upload in huge chunks at a time. Until then, you may breathlessly await my next cyber logorrhea.

Expenditures:

Bus Ride to Taipei: 125 NT

MRT to Danshui: 45 NT

Bus ride to Grandparent’s House: 15 NT

Taiwan 2011: Airport (1)

Currently chilling at the SFO airport. It still hasn't sunk in that I am leaving for Taiwan tonight. Just a few days ago, I was flying into CA from Baltimore. I'm being upgraded gradually through various levels of Heaven. Unfortunately, I totally forgot to get assigned seating, so I have been sentenced to a 13 hour flight in seat 55H. I have a sneaking suspicion that it is a middle seat. The people on either side of me better be KAYUTE (and think that drool on their shoulder is SEXY).

Most people back home don't really know why I'm going to Taiwan this time around, or that I'm going to Taiwan at all. I know I left you guys under the general impression that I was sticking around to take summer classes at a local CC. So here's a quick update: I'm going to be volunteering at Menonnite Christian Hospital in Hualien, Taiwan for a month before joining ADVENT and teaching English/spreading the Gospel for another three weeks. This will probably be one of the most God-centered summers of my life. Scratch that. This is probably the most God-centered I've been ever. haha. To be honest, I didn't really come to terms with my own religion until I entered college and found myself in a desert place. I really pray that this summer will be one of spiritual growth and self-discovery.

I chose to attend JHU because I had my heart set on being a pre-med. Hopefully, the next month of total immersion in hospital culture will help me to gain perspective and confirm my interest in the field of medicine. I purposely chose to volunteer at a Christian hospital so I can become acquainted with different doctors that have reconciled their faith and their life-long dedication to science.

Anyways, we've started boarding so I'll have to cut his blog short. I'll try to update regularly. :)