Mumps

I have the mumps. Yea you heard me right. What’s worse is that I already suffered through the mumps as a four year old in Shanghai, and now its coming back to bite me in the ass. Consequently, I spent the past five days in a Chinese hospital without TV or internet access… truly the worst sort of punishment in the modern world. I was quarantined in the contagious disease ward at 空军总医院, the “Air Force Hospital.” Ok my experience seems fit for FML.com, but in all honesty I’m glad I was afflicted with this illness.
My mindset made those five days bearable. When the doctors first ordered my hospitalization, I was shocked to say the least. However, I chose an optimistic route rather than feeling sorry for myself. First, I asked my roommate and friends to bring me necessary supplies such as my laptop, iPod, toiletries, Chinese books, and food. Next, I made a plan for the week. For example, I would study Chinese characters, finish certain chapters, go over grammar, write letters to friends, and so on and so forth. I even handwrote a letter to my Korean friend Soowoo, an epic piece of work that took over two hours to complete. For the first two days, my schedule consisted of waking up at 6 am to take my temperature, providing the myriad Chinese nurses with urine and feces samples, allowing them to poke me with needles several times a day in order to extract blood and to inject intravenous fluids, studying Chinese when I felt like it, and listening to music.
Things changed drastically on the third day. On Wednesday afternoon, a young man with swollen cheeks walked into my ward, nodded curtly, and introduced himself. His name was Fang Shui, and he was a 20 year old soldier in the air force who had also been diagnosed with the mumps. According to him, hospitalization was preferable to life in the air force because it allowed him some respite. Life as a soldier is hard in any country, but it seems as if Chinese soldiers may have it worse than most. A typical day for Fang Shui begins at 5 am sharp when soldiers get up to run and go through their morning exercises. Next comes breakfast, some more training, and then a short break. Soon afterwards follows lunch, training in the midday sun, some studying, dinner, reading, and lights out at 10 pm. Furthermore, in his two years with the air force, he only saw his family twice. That sort of existence is almost inconceivable to America college students such.
I drew much strength from Fang’s experiences. His word made me realize just how easy I had it, how comfortable and pampered my lifestyle is compared to his. With this in mind, I knew I could endure another week of confinement in that damned hospital room. It was a test of character, of my strength, willpower, and ultimate ability to endure. Ultimately, I’m glad that I was confined to a dirty, primitive Chinese hospital room, and even gladder that I met Fang Shui. Had I not contracted the mumps in China, I doubt I would have undergone such a life changing experience. Despite how broad and far Yale’s curriculum spans, I wouldn’t have gained such an experience at Yale such an education at Yale. Such experiences are hard to come by in America ;)
I’ll put up pictures of the hospital whenever I learn how to do so!