Chinese medicine clinical rotation Part III of IV

Where to stay? 

For the Zhejiang program the clinics are too far from the main campus to stay in a dorm. I searched and searched, and looked at many hotels, but in the end I went with Airbnb. It was cheaper and offered nicer accommodations with a kitchen and washer. The average hotel that is worth staying at in Hangzhou is about $60 per night, anything less and you’re gambling with your health. There are some $30-$40/night places, but I wouldn’t stay there longterm. Even with Airbnb it can be rough making arrangements. In my first attempt I asked the host if they could help me register (more about that in a minute), and they never replied, the second request, I simply asked if they will host a foreigner, and when they said I “yes” I asked about registration - silence. The third attempt I just booked the dates, and figured I would worry about registering when I got here. So what is this registration all about? When you check-in at a Chinese hotel they take a copy of your passport and load it into a system that basically lets the government know where you are. Of course, with Airbnb that step is eliminated. Technically, your host should accompany you to the local police bureau to help you register so you are in the system. For the most part, no one does this for short stays. I asked everyone I could think of, and just about all of them said don’t worry about it, this includes my in-country advisors. If you’re staying for more than a few months, it might be worth it. But no one is scouring the database to see who hasn’t registered, and really the only time if would come up is if you get trouble or an accident. So keep your sh*t together, and don’t get in trouble :)

Chinese apartments run the gamut of ultra modern clean, to scary, built before running water. The outside may look old and dirty, but the inside could be updated and clean. Apartment showers are generally in the same room as the toilet with a drain in the floor. Consider yourself lucky if you find a bathroom with a separate shower stall. Hotels are different, they’ve mostly been upgraded at this point. For the most part, in major cities western toilets are now the norm. You will still encounter squat toilets, but its pretty rare. For some reason, they cannot get the smell thing down. I have literally walked into a pubic bathroom right after the cleaning crew finished and it still smelled awful. I used to think it was the lack of water in squat toilets, but now with western toilets the smell is still there. Also, there may be bugs in your apartment, it’s just a fact of life here. Apparently, sealing windows, vents, even caulking bathroom tiles is not very consistent. It’s not awful, but they’ll be there. I had an 8 inch millipede on my towel one night. Scared the crap out of me… The most important point about living arrangements is making sure you are close to your clinics. For the Five Branches/Zhejiang program I would suggest being close to Westlake, somewhere between Hefang Street and Qingchun Road. That should keep you within a 25 minute walk of all the clinics. Getting to the main campus is a long bus ride, but the new subway line should be open by the end of 2017, and it goes right to campus!!

Costs are kind of strange. Food is ridiculously cheap. I spend on average 18RMB to 28RMB for a meal, about $3 - $5. My average tea costs 32RMB, about $6.50. So yes, I have spent more money on tea than food. There are the cheap tchotchkes to buy, but then nicer items are actually more expensive than Europe or the USA. 

Note, there are scholarships for foreign students and I would encourage everyone to badger their advisors about them. I received one after my arrival even after being told I was not eligible from home.

Packing is easy, don’t freakout, most of your general toiletry items and foods are available here. Razors, soap, shampoo - you don’t need to bring 2 months worth. Clothing too, the malls have all the usual stores from around the world like H&M. I would recommend a good pair of soft soled clinic shoes, and a general walk-around pair of shoes. Honestly, I’m throwing away my walking shoes after this trip. It was very rainy when I got here, and they’re just generally gross at this point. I completely over packed for this first trip...

A few people have asked me about vaccinations. That’s tricky of course with all the new information we have at hand, and all of the controversy. I was vaccinated as a child in the 70’s and had boosters for tetanus before my first trips to Sri Lanka and China in 2005/2006. I also got the Hep A/Hep B vaccine then, and that’s something I would suggest for China. Its estimated that greater than 8% of the population of China has Hep B, whereas in the USA its less than 2%. One of my supervisors believes that Hep B infection rates are closer to 20%. I’ve also seen mumps here, that was scary to see in person. And I would say the majority of the population has oral herpes, cold sores, so you want to be careful about sharing drinks, food dishes, chop sticks, etc., especially if you have not had a cold sore, and are not sure if you carry the virus.

Herbs and Medications

I usually take some version of Yu Ping Feng San or Dragon Herbs Supreme Protector starting about 2 weeks before I travel, and about one week into the trip. I’ll then hit Wu Ling San and Supreme Protector again when I get home to help with the jet lag and immune system lag. You can get just about any medicine here, but if you like a specific brand, even Chinese formulas, bring them with you. You may not find exactly what you’re looking for. Like many developing countries you can buy antibiotics and other medications right over the counter...

Almost at the end...