When being in China is a problem...

Sometimes, things happen when it's a bit of a problem that you're in China. Like when someone sends you a link to a youtube video and it's the week China has banned all access to youtube. But, sometimes things happen which makes you realise how difficult living here can be.

Take for example, yesterday's rugby match. Tony has been nagging me for weeks now to go and watch a rugby practice. the last time I saw him play, he tore the achilles tendon and lateral ligaments in his left ankle. He screamed with pain and swore like a trooper and very bizarrely started to quote from Jane Eyre and accused poor Rochester of all kinds of awful deeds, including his ankle. While I was sympathetic and concerned, I was also very embarrassed. Yesterday I decided was the day for me to watch him practice. I was impressed with his ferocious tackling, his commitment to the game, and I saw for myself that he had very real talent. Unfortunately, he has no regard for his body and seems to have a death wish and throws his body at the opposition.

He launched shoulder first into a Chinese national player who has legs the size of my waist and easily weighs about 120kg. They connected, shoulder to shoulder, then fell to the ground with the huge monster of a man, the Great Wall himself, landing on Tony's shoulder. Tony heard two clicks and then felt intense pain and couldn't move his arm. To his credit, he smiled and nodded when the Chinese national player, 30kg heavier than him muttered, "Er, my mistake." No tears or screams this time. No cursing of Rochester, all he said was, "Think somethings gone. Won't be able to finish the game." I managed to help him get the shirt off and saw this funny bump on his collar bone. Chinese players came to look and pushed down on the bump and all said, "Hospital," but when I asked them how to say hospital in Chinese they looked at me blankly. That's when I really felt helpless and cursed the fact I'd dropped out of Chinese classes.

I managed to get hold of our doctor at the SOS Clinic and he agreed to meet us even though it was after hours. While we were waiting for him to arrive, the Chinese women walking past were very excited to see Tony's bare upper body and hairy chest and they were all taking photos of him sitting there. So, the up shot of it all, and after 4 hours of waiting at hospital etc, is that Tony has a Acromioclavicular Joint Separation and probably has to have surgery, so we're being medivacced to Hong Kong in the morning. Apparently, in China although they have all the equipment and technology, surgeons don't do that kind of stuff. It really reminds you what a chance yu take when you live in countries like this and have the added language barrier. As I write this we are still waiting for Medivac in the US to get back to us with confirmations of our flights. Of course, a trip to Hong Kong, while great for shopping, wasn't in my budget at all and I'm trying not to spend money at all to save for Tony's hotel school fees in June. It's one of those things I guess. Luckily, I was there to sort it out at the time as I don't know what would have happened. No first aid kit or ice packs at the rugby field. Tony of course, is quite excited as he looked up the injury on the internet and it's a common injury for professional rugby players, so now he thinks he's the real deal.

He had his art exhibition on Friday night and that went off well. Not sure what we'll do with the enormous art pieces he created, but we might hang on to the pewter sculpture he did of his fingers giving 'the finger.' Luckily quite a few people have offered to take Siobhan for a few days. So now I sit, not sure if I must pack for a day or three or what. I'm supposed to be going to see the Shaolin monks this coming weekend. Hopefully, this will all be sorted and over by then.

And, I really need to get focused on packing up this house....seem to be leaving it until the last minute......