The medical exam was again eye-opening (I keep using that term). First we had to drive to South Suzhou to the International Travel Health Care Clinic, so I was taken through another section of the city I had not seen. This was obviously not a Western part of the city and it was just interesting to look out the windows and see how the city changed as you moved through it. Gone were the new high rises and instead there were still tall buildings but much older and fewer of them. The first floor on every street was lined with small shops on both sides for blocks. It is an older area and probably is more the real China than the area I am living. So we get to the Clinic and it was very confusing. Luckily, I had Eva on my side. She is a young lady from the company that knows all of the passport/visa rules and regulations and has been extremely helpful to me on this trip (she is the “indispensible person that every company has). As with many of the women in the front office, she’s tiny, probably less than 5’ tall but I’ve come to realize that here you don’t judge by the size. She “pushed” through to the check in counter and guided me through the paperwork, the 4 stages of processing to check in to the Clinic and then on to the testing. I had a flashback to the age of 17, joining the Army and going through the MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) before heading to Basic Training. Essentially it was a main room with smaller rooms attached; each with a singular purpose, you could hit any of the “stations” in any order but you had to hit them all (check all the boxes and win a prize). Draw blood, eye exam, dental exam, EKG, blood pressure, height, weight, x-ray and even an ultrasound for your liver & kidneys. Each station was brief but it was just strange and comical at the same time. As I worked through this I realized just how much you have to trust basically strangers with everything. Gin, our driver, had to get photocopies of my passport while I was being tested due to new regulations. He takes it and off he goes, 15 minutes later he’s back. The passport is my ability to get out of the country and go home; it’s your driver’s license on steroids. You could take this information and do just about anything. Here I am handing it over to a man I just met, Eva taking me from stop-to-stop and working me through this maze of confusion. It’s very hard to not be in control for me, I don’t like to rely on others but here there is no choice. It’s truly a team effort, without them, I would still be standing there in line wondering what I had gotten myself into (if there is any question, I am the weakest link).
I was unable to eat or drink for 12 hours before the testing so I was “fading away to nothing” (short trip) after the testing. We returned to the Chateau where I met one of the manager’s who was to tour me through the various apartment options. Eva informed her that I wished to get something to drink (I was thinking an orange juice just to get something), the next thing I know she takes me to the dining room and brings over a waiter to get my order for something to eat. It feels strange but it’s their way, they had just finished the breakfast service and here was this skinny American ordering food. It was awkward but I went with it and ate (very good choice, you’ll find out why) a sandwich. They waited and talked while I ate (away from me so I was by myself eating…again awkward). The tour started with the fitness center, the men’s changing room/locker room (we walk in and Hello! naked Chinese man, 12 o’clock, and I mean no towel just standing by the sink checking his hair. Turn around, another buck naked guy……what planet am I on, get a towel dudes!), the pool and sauna. Then to the apartments, all much nicer than the single bedroom I am currently occupying.
There are 3 different options, basically big kitchen, smaller rooms or small kitchen and bigger rooms or small kitchen and bigger rooms with carpeting in the rooms (I’ve been warned about the carpeting, there is some is some question about if they have a vacuum cleaner). The bigger rooms are the preference since the kitchen doesn’t need to be big, it’s not like we’re cooking huge meals now and need all kinds of counter space (empty space = place for clutter). 
The odd things are that in one layout, the refrigerator was in the living room, for some layouts the washer/dryer (yes, it’s one small unit that does both things) was out on the balcony/deck. I’ll be in the single bedroom while I am by myself and then we’ll move into a 3 bedroom. Although this is one of the oldest complexes in the area (meaning it’s been around for more than 4 years) and the rooms aren’t perfect, the service is what sets them apart. I’ve had one issue with my door swipe card where it wasn’t working well. They had 2 housekeeping people, 2 doormen, 1 supervisor and a maintenance guy all checking in to see the problem was fixed. They were all very apologetic but it wasn’t a big deal to me. Fix it and let’s move on.So after the guided tour, it’s back to the plant just in time for lunch. As I walk to the cafeteria and open the door, BAM!!! Okay, I had a sandwich an hour ago, I’m good! I found out it was fish day; there’s something about that odor that just penetrates and sends you in the opposite direction. I don’t know how they handle it, if you get take that AND eat, you can use pepper spray like Binaca (breath freshener spray just fyi). To quote Fat Bastard from Austin Powers, “even stink would say that stinks”. I saw birds flying over the plant that were falling out of the sky because they were holding their nose instead of flapping their wings (they made the right choice). Lucky me, the Press office is right directly over the lunch room…can’t wait to see how that works out. So 2 out of 3 days, I was able to eat at the plant. Still, the odds are in my favor….we’ll see what awaits me tomorrow.
I was taken out to eat by another colleague to a place called Li Gong De, it’s an area with Outlet shopping and many, many restaurants along JinJi Lake. It’s very interesting to see the city at night; I can only say it’s a little Vegas in China. The buildings all have some neon lighting that twinkles, flows, moves, etc. There’s one high rise that has a Tetris theme, blocks of different colored lights fall down the building and build up like Tetris. It’s like that on many of the new buildings, something different to see on each one. We went to Mario’s Pizza, a very nice place obviously frequented by Westerners. Along the way I heard kids playing and understood them (hey English), it was kids who were at Mario’s for dinner. Quickly I realized this was a curse and not a blessing as I watched the kids run around the place making a racket and the parents were absolutely oblivious. It was a group of 3 families and you would’ve thought the parents were by themselves. The kids went to the table when the food arrived but until that time were a general pain-in-the-butt. I was embarrassed to think that these people were from the states and giving credence to the spoiled American image. I wanted to walk over and slap them but I tried to ignore it. We may not be the best parents but we would never allow our kids to act in this fashion. I’ve never seen kids so out of control in an eating establishment (I’ve never been to Chucky Cheese). It was a nice place with good food, although it was expensive even by Western standards. It’s supposed to be the best pizza in Suzhou so I ordered the lasagna (don’t ask me why). Tried the Tiger beer, a Singapore beer, very good very much like an American lager. I walked back to the Chateau on my own, I’ve got to get out and capture some photos of the lights at night. It’s very nice to see but by the time I reached the Chateau, the lasagna kicked in and I decided to just hang out. I promise to get photos; Tammy has been asking I just forget to bring the camera. I keep telling her that you’ll see for yourself but I should be better. If I don’t get them this time, definitely when I get back in March when the weather will be warmer and the training wheels will come off.
One more day and then I go back in time as I head east (from the Far East…not sure if that makes sense since if I’m headed east does that mean I’m going to the Far, Far East) to home.
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