itan: Sun and snow in Harbin

Wow! What a delight Harbin is proving to be. It’s as though I’ve stepped out of Asia architecturally and climatically and entered Russia or the Eastern bloc, but there are still the Chinese people, their love of food and the illuminations (my northern classmate feels at home as it rminds him of Blackpool!).

Well, a whole bus from Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine met all 6 of us at Harbin airport and drove us to what is becoming home for the next five and a half months.

We started clinic today, which was a shock and we’re still doing a lot of admin and housemaking. In fact I bought a hoover yesterday. Hygiene is nowhere near the Thai standards and the BAcC (British Acupuncture Council) would see red flags if they witnessed me removing needles from a patient’s head today and putting it upside down in a test tube sitting in the top pocket of a Chinese student’s white doctor’s tunic. You'll be relieved that the test tubes are labelled with the patient's name and the sterilised needles are only used on the same patient.

Guye and I hiked to the swimming pool today in the neighbouring Harbin Forrest University – fantastic! two 50m pools, one for splashing and the other with at least 10 lanes. We were given slippers so the changing rooms were pretty clean and I felt a sense of repugnance followed by relief to discover that the silver trays at the end of each lane were in fact spitoons. (Simone who is braving the pool in Ho Chi Minh would be happier if they had them there too as a lot of throat clearing goes on there!).

Lots to learn and so many experiences (just say no to duck tongues and silk worm larvae - to my peril, I didn't) but got to be in clinic at 8am, so better get some sleep.