le blog iantaiwan par : Ian

Dimanche 27 janvier 2008

The good morning song (Tao Zhe)

The good morning song (Tao Zhe (David Tao))

Par Ian - Publié dans : iantaiwan - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Lundi 21 janvier 2008

A day at the hospital.

Today I spent my day at the hospital.

Remember that bronchitis that I was talking about in my last post? Well it is not gone and it was getting worst.
I was getting really worried and I went to see a doctor at a private clinic.
At the clinic the doctor informed me that my case was very serious and he had to send me to the veteran's hospital of Taiwan.

I started to freak out. What is wrong with me? The doctor told me that I might have pneumonia or since I am a smoker, there might be a tumor in my lungs and that could be one of the reasons why I was not healing.

So I got to the veteran's hospital coughing my lungs out, completely distracted while driving my car by the thoughts of lung cancer and or other diseases that I could have contracted due to tobacco use.

Remembering the fist cigarette that I have ever smoked and where it was bringing me now. I could not believe that something that started so innocently had given me cancer and all of this, because I had always pushed back the day I was going to stop smoking.

Here I am at the hospital ready but scared to go trough the battery of tests to find out the truth. I am thinking of just leaving without notice.

Do I really want to know? I don't feel rational anymore.
Can I do that? Just go.
Then the nurse comes out of her cubicle. I can see her struggling with the name on the file. I know it's mine. I didn't bother to write my name in Chinese on the form handed to me by the clerk at the reception.
She finally manages to pronounce my name or kind of. "Ean Lamboter?". She is looking at me, being the only foreigner in the waiting room. No more time to run now. It's time to face the great ripper.

I sit down in the doctor's office.

Doc- Do you speak Chinese?

Me- Yes, but I'd rather that we speak French at this moment.

Doc- I am sorry. I don't speak French and my English is not very good.

Me- All right doc, we will do half and half and at the end we should be able to understand each other.

Doc- So what seems to be the problem?
I give him the referral from the previous doctor.

It's in Chinese. I can understand it but I can't read it. The only words that are written in English are "pneumonia and tumor".
While I am handing out the form, the nurse has just finished taking my blood pressure.
The nurse says "Wow". She tells the doc that my pressure is 180/120. The doc goes "wow".

Doc- Are you felling dizzy?

Me- Yes.

Do you have stress?

Me- yes.

I am thinking "What the fuck do you think? Tumor/cancer/pneumonia. Wouldn't you feel all of the above"

Doc- We are going to go by steps. First we are going to take some X-Rays and then blood tests.

Me- ok where do I go?

Doc- First, you will go pay for the X-Ray. When you are done, you will go take it. After you will come back here and I will send you pay for the blood test. You will come back and I will do the blood test.

Me- Isn't there a way for me to pay all at once?

Doc- Well, it is better to do it like this, because that way if you don't need the test, you will not have paid for them even if you didn't need them. We don't reimburse here, it would cause to much chaos in the computer system.

I can't believe it. I might be dying and this guy is trying to save me 3$US for a test.

Doc- Are you married?

Me- Yes, but what does it have to do with anything?

Doc- Is you wife Chinese?

Me- Yes, she is.....

Doc- Maybe you should call her to help you with the details?

Me- Doc, if I call my wife to help me with this, she will freak out and I am already half freaked out. I can barely manage myself. Do you really think that I could manage the two of us? Ok, I will go and pay now.

I realize that it is useless to fight the system. This is Taiwan style.
In my country, I would be in a bed with someone pushing it around to my destinations but, I quickly remember that, in my country people die in corridors waiting for a bed.
Hey, at least here they make you walk and exercise. It might keep the blood flowing.

The X-Rays are back. They took so many of them, that I am beginning to worry more about sterility than dying. The wife wants to have kids you know.

The doc looks at them. (I have to admit that I thought about taking them out look at them by myself. Nothing good would have come out of that so I didn't.)

Doc- Ha ha.

What what?????

Doc- Hem, hum.

Tell me tell me before I scream.

Doc- How long I you been smoking?

Me- 14 years. Is it that bad?

Doc- Are you sure?

Me- Yes, I am.

I am sick, not senile.

Doc- It doesn't look like it. Your lungs are very clean.

Me- What????

Doc- Nothing is wrong with your lungs besides a severe bronchitis.

Me- Are you sure??

Doc- Yes, Do you still have the medical slip from the other hospital that you went a week ago?

Me- Yes, here you are.

The doc looks at it.

Doc- Did you get gastro anteritis lately?

Me- Yes, a month ago.

Doc- The previous doc made a mistake in your prescription. In stead of giving you your new prescription, he gave you the same one has he did before. I can see it here in your file. So that's why you did not get better and got worse.

Me-Are you serious? I don't have anything? I am going to be ok?

Doc- Yes, but it would be a god idea to stop smoking while your lungs are still in a good shape.

Me- You bet.

I am relived.

Doc- Are you happy that you didn't pay for that test that you didn't need? You can save that money to buy a house for your wife.

3$us I am thinking. Thank god that he is a doc and not a banker.

I went to work at school after and felt great. The kids asked me why I was so happy.

I answered that "sometimes life is good".

Par Ian - Publié dans : iantaiwan - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Vendredi 18 janvier 2008

What a week.

What a week.
I knew that I was suffering from high blood pressure but now, it is getting serious. I had to make some changes and they were not easy to make. (I will come back to this later.)

I have been fighting a bronchitis all week and the medicine that I am taking makes me want to sleep.

And on top of it, my grandfather passed away this week.

Back to that high blood pressure story.
It seems that, it is now time to change my life style.

I am a meat lover. I can eat meat 3 times a day without vegetables or fruits. I love salty, oily, creamy food. I would kill for cream 35% in my sauces and soups.
I love a good drink.
And I love smoking.
My conception of sports is to sit on something that has power and wheels and let it work for me.

Well, that has changed.
For the past week I made changes.
I have cut 90% of my meat and replaced it with vegetables and fruits. I made soup without cream in it.
I haven't drank any alcohol.
No fries or fried chicken. No hamburgers (but one hot dog). No soy sauce in my rice or noodles. No butter on my toast (replaced with peanut butter).
The worst of all, I gave up 3.25% milk and replaced it with cremated milk.

The good part of this? I have started to cook at home again. The wife loves my cooking so, it gives us a chance to sit around the table and have discussions and share time together.

I played tennis by myself against the wall and walked 30 minutes every day.

Do I feel better? Nope, but you have to remember that I have a bronchitis at this time. Ha ha ha.
But, I get the feeling that I am taking care of my body and it keeps me motivated.

The next step,,,,The smoking part.
I have begun to slow the rate of witch I smoke and plan to stop in the Chinese new year. I've got 10 days holidays coming and it will give me time to settle the cravings without being impatient towards my students.

A few years back I have stopped smoking for a year. I know what to expect and still remember how I did it. There is only one way for me. WALK, WALK, WALK.

Catch you later.

Par Ian - Publié dans : iantaiwan - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Mardi 15 janvier 2008

Goodbye Grand-pa

Goodbye Grand-pa.
Have a nice trip where ever you are going.

Par Ian - Publié dans : iantaiwan - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Jeudi 10 janvier 2008

New year 2008

Here is a little resume of new year's weekend.
It was beautiful. The temperature went all the way up to 25c. So we went for a nice bike ride in the mountains.
After we met our friends at the Japanese BBQ to celebrate the new year.

New year 2007
Uploaded by iix23

Par Ian - Publié dans : iantaiwan - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Dimanche 6 janvier 2008

Christmas at school.

It was Christmas again at school.
Here is the video.
Enjoy.

Online Videos by Veoh.comanti

Par Ian - Publié dans : Video made in Taiwan by me. - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Dimanche 6 janvier 2008

The oldest movie theater in Taiwan.

Last weekend we went to Neiwan. An old village in Taiwan (where I got married) . Only to discover (after 4 years in the country) that it is home of the oldest movie theater in Taiwan.

Here some pics. undefined

Par Ian - Publié dans : iantaiwan - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Mercredi 26 décembre 2007

A day in the clouds in Wufong.

On Sunday we went to the top of a mountain in Wufong.
The day started with a bright sky without a cloud in sight. But when we got to the top of mountain, it changed in a few minutes. At this altitude the weather can change very fast.
We made the best of it and got to live a fascinating experience up there.
At one point, we couldn't see as far as 2 metres in front of us.

Here is the video of that day.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

Par Ian - Publié dans : Video made in Taiwan by me. - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Mardi 25 décembre 2007

It's been a long time.

Hi, it's been a long time that I didn't write on the blog.
I have been quite busy lately.
I have painted my house in preparation for the Chinese new year.
Christmas at school and preparing the dinner at my house for 13 people.

I am working on editing new videos about my school party and a ride that my wife, Jorge and I did on Sunday. So stay tuned for those in a few days.

On a personal note I was not supposed to work today (Christmas) but I decided to go anyway. I wanted to spend the day with my students.

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Par Ian - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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Mardi 11 décembre 2007

An other day at the track.

Last Saturday Jorge and I went to the track for an afternoon.
We have had the chance to get rides in drift cars again.
Too bad it is an expensive sport because it is cool.

There will be no track time this weekend. My wife told me that it was time to clean and paint the house for the coming Chinese new year. Since our house has 5 floors it's going to take time. A lot of time.

I have to ask her why our house is so big since we are only 2 and use 3 floors. Can't we get a smaller one?

I am probably going to try to run away for a few hours.
I'll let you know how that went. Ha ha ha .

Par Ian - Communauté : Expatrie(e)s
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The good morning song (Tao Zhe)

A day at the hospital.

What a week.

Goodbye Grand-pa

New year 2008

Christmas at school.

The oldest movie theater in Taiwan.

A day in the clouds in Wufong.

It's been a long time.

An other day at the track.

Video made in Taiwan by me.

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