Helen's trip to the clinic

Believe it or not -- I actually did not take a single photo today -- which might be the first time since we arrived here. What you are looking at is a "file photo" of the campus Michael took last week. This is the walk from the West Gate, about 8-10 minutes away, and the route we often take to the supermarket and to Thomas's bus stop. I won a bus stop victory today when the international school finally agreed to move the stop in the afternoon by a few hundred feet, which will save Thomas and Kate from having to cross a busy street. There is a crosswalk and light, but the cars and buses don't always follow it.

So today Helen and I, accompanied by a couple of Philosophy students who speak some English -- went to a big clinic for the Kindergarten physical. Fortunately we had some idea what to expect from Malinda, last year's Fulbrighter. It was a busy and confusing place and we stood in a lot of lines with other parents and children, mostly babies and preschoolers getting their physicals. The doctor checking Helen told me through the students that she thought Helen was my bio child because she looks like me! Which I have always maintained, and Michael has always scoffed at. She also said that they had to run an additional test because Helen is too small and must not be eating her food. Now Helen is in the 3rd percentile in the US, but her tiny Asian female doctor has never been too concerned. And to me every one in China is so much smaller anyway. But they did some additional test on the blood they were already getting. I bet its a hemoglobin test, but the students couldn't explain it to me. So I let my little girl get her blood drawn by finger poke in this clinic .. it was a sterile needle, but no alcohol swab and no band aids, which was amazing to Helen. Every child entering Kindergarten is tested for Hep B . Tomorrow we'll pick up the certificate that should enable her to go to school on Monday...hurray!!!

Michael had a chance to see the classroom he'll be using, and found out his teaching schedule, which is Monday and Tuesday nights at 7 pm. Its a good schedule, enabling us to do some long weekend travel and also flexible during the day if I need to do something briefly without Sophia. We may also start with a Chinese language tutor very soon.