I’ve decided after being back in Tianjin for almost three weeks that it is time to go back to Bali!! We have been reminded several times over the past couple of weeks of why we do in fact get rest and relaxation (R & R’s) trips. Living in China is not easy!
We experienced some very sad news upon returning to Tianjin. An expat family was involved in a car accident in which two of the family members were killed. We did not personally know this family, but our thoughts and prayers go out to their family and friends as they grieve. This was a big reminder for all of us in the community of how dangerous the roads can be here. Most of us are not allowed to drive (due to company policies), but it really doesn’t matter who is driving, rules are not followed by other drivers and this is typically what causes the accidents. We also have just entered into fog season which means parts of the road are perfectly safe and then out of the blue you can come upon a big patch of fog which completely impairs visibility. I plan on being more vigilant in checking the weather before I set off to Beijing for my shopping trips, and I have asked my driver to check also so we make sure the road conditions are safe from fog!
As if that was not enough, my dear friend broke her left ankle and badly sprained her right ankle which left her completely immobile for 6 days until they could fly her to Hong Kong for surgery. This was a freak accident that could have happened anywhere (I guess it didn’t help that the steps were not the same size and the lights in the surrounding area were not working). However, the scariest part was how the evacuation was handled. We all have emergency medical plans set up in the hopes that we never ever need to resort to them. The first step is to call the SOS who arranges transfers and sends the doctor on duty to help. If it is an urgent emergency, we will have to be transferred to a Tianjin hospital, but if we are stable, we can go to Beijing. In the case of a break that requires surgery, we hope to be taken out of the country to have the surgery performed by a foreign doctor. This is exactly what my friend wanted done. Evacuations are covered on all of our insurance policies and they are organized by the SOS. My poor, sweet friend had to wait for 6 full days to be flown to Hong Kong. I felt it was completely unacceptable, but we are dependent on other people, so she was helpless. Thankfully, once she arrived in Hong Kong, she had her surgery and is now on the road to recovery. Again, this was just a reminder that we have plans in place for an emergency, it is not as easy as calling 911 in the states!
The good news is, we are anxiously awaiting Danny’s parents coming to visit us!! We are excited to have family stay with us. The last time they came, we had only been living in China for about 2 months - we were complete newbies and we had no idea what to do and where to take them! This time we are a bit more experienced and we have planned a trip to Chengdu to see the pandas! We are all very excited and hopefully this will help cure the homesickness that sets in right before the holidays!!
To boost my spirits, I have been perusing through our Bali photos! Here are a few more to share with you!! I’m going to pretend I’m back on the beach with a drink in hand watching my little munchkins frolic in the sand!!!
Yes, those are Danny's feet being eaten by fish!!
Cheers!!
I am one lucky lady!! So thankful for all of the wonderful memories we made!!
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