21st Jan - Midnight


Before I went to sleep I started feeling really sick, sick enough for a bin beside my bed and I put on a jumper, socks, different items of clothing incase I needed to go to the doctors suddenly, I felt bad.
'Ding, dang, dong. Ding dang dong' It's midnight, why is the apartment bell going off? I go to the door to answer the call but Diana is there already. "Sorry if I woke you, I just ordered some food"
I started chatting to Diana but had to sit down, all of a sudden the room starting spinning and I was going light headed and weak. "I can't talk to you now" I said, rushing to my room. 'Pins' started piercing my neck and face and feeling as if my face was swelling. I went to the toilet and my right eye started going blurry. Grabbing my water I hurried into Diana's room, worried to be alone. My arm went weak and I was as white as a sheet. "I don't know what's wrong with me" I just kept drinking water, drinking and drinking. I was freezing, my legs continually shaking as I sat on her bed. Maybe 10 minutes or so later the random symptoms started to fade, my face stopped 'swelling', colour started coming back into my face, I was feeling abit better. I stayed in Diana's room for a bit longer, chatting, just to make sure I was fine. Returning back to my room, I text mum and started looking up the symptoms on the internent. It was so very strange as I had a headache in the same place as I did in Uganda and there too my body kind of shut down on me.


22nd Jan


After only 3 hours sleep, I managed to drag myself to school. "Emma you not sleep well? Very black under your eyes" Lisa asked. It was very true, I looked like someone going cold turkey!!
Felix arrived at school and I explained what happened in the night, trying so hard to fight back tears. He told me to go back to the flat until Freda could take me to the hospital.
In China they don't have doctors clinics, so everyone goes to the hospital. From a severed leg to a rash, you're amongst it all.
Babies wrapped in blankets placed on chairs, two people sharing a drip, old women hunched over coughing, a boy with a rash on his face, we all sat on metal chairs in the waiting area. You get a reservation number and make your way upstairs and find a room with not so many people in it. Imagine a doctors room, where you sit next to him and chat about your problem. Okay, now imagine 6 others stood right behind you, hoping you'll speak that bit faster so they can be seen. I don't know what happens if it's a personal problem! Freda told the doctor what had happened and he sent me for a CT scan. "Take off your scarf" and that was it. No, 'turn off your phone, take off your jacket, remove metal items' And so the scan took place and I went home to sleep.
Freda collected my results in the afternoon and text "The result seems alright. Don't worry too much. Take good rest. Let me know if you need to see emergency or any help" I slept, watched some dvds, slept, ate and slept through the rest of the night.


23rd Jan


Did you know? :
In China McDonalds and KFC deliver take-aways.


I had four lessons today. I adapted them so they weren't as active and although I could tell I didn't have as much energy as usual, they went well enough considering.
Mum had been speaking to many people in her café me falling ill. Their conclusion was a bad migraine- Demanding work in my first week, not sleeping very well, it all adds up. Yeah I agree. But Freda had also been speaking to people "I knew you were worried, so I asked around" My headache is always at back, left of my head, down by were the nerve connects to the spine. Their conclusions were perhaps posture had a part to play. I turn my neck, as I feel I need to click the area where my head hurts. So, maybe my pillow is too high in bed or I look down a lot when reading or on the laptop.That therefore has a part to play in blood circulation. I agree with this too, but more so because in Uganda, Dr Stockley said that maybe I had a trapped nerve in my neck, due to perhaps my pillow, my neck not being straight! Bingo! I've had 2 CT scans for similar problems, both showing nothing and therefor I will go with this, starting from tonight, making sure my neck is aline with my body. I asked Freda about seeing someone for a neck massage, it won't harm and either way I love massages!


Music blarring out of shops, lights flashing, the noise of chatter, people pushing by, car horns beeping, different smells in the air. We had only walked a few mintues up the road but I usually go down the road to old town, back to the apartment. Here I found China!
I went shopping with lovely Lisa after work. We never stopped chatting whilst popping into different shops looking for some shoes. Size 8 is a bit of a problem even in England so in China, I wasn't having much luck, well I didn't have any luck!
Lisa is 28 years old and is now my older sister "Do you like clubbing?" "No the music is too loud" I forget she's so much older with her baby face! She's constantly smiling, chatting, asking questions, the kind of personality you can't help but love.


Diana moved out today. I'm thinking about moving into that room to save my legs… A nice second bruise as I walk into the side of the bed again, whilst opening the curtains. Yeah, the other room is much more spacious!
I cleared out the kitchen, gave it a good clean down. It's looking great and I'm going to do the living area tomorrow, make this place really feel my own.


E x x x