This morning I found out that my first class was canceled because I needed a health examination to remain in China. At 8:30 am two of my foreign companions and I were taxied to the Shaanxi International Travel Heathcare Center. After getting photographed and filling out paperwork, we were subjected to a series of health examinations. Some, like the blood test, seemed quite standard; others, like the x-ray and eye tests, seemed a little excessive; and others, like the ultrasound, were plain bizarre.
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| Reception desk. Paperwork, blood, and cash are taken here. |
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| Radiology department |
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| An explanation of the examination procedures (in chinese of course) |
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| Eye examination. I used the eye test as a chance to practice my chinese numbers, which may have led the nurse to suggest eyeglasses, but i'm not sure because her prognosis was in chinese |
After we left the health clinic, we were taken to Shanghai Pudong Development Bank (SPD) to open an account. I was disappointed because I wanted to open an account at China Construction Bank (CBC). CBC has a partnership with Bank of America (BOA) which allows me to use my BOA card at their atm's and transfer money across banks with no foreign bank fee. However, SPD has a partnership with Siyuan University that allows students and faculty to open accounts without depositing a cent. So now I have an account at SPD bank and a bank card that will put me in the red if i mistakenly use it.
By the time we finished banking it was 12 pm and none of us had eaten all day (we were not allowed to eat before the health exam). We stopped at a fast food restaurant called Best Food. It was on par with McDonalds in terms of offerings and quality, so I wouldnt exactly call it the best food, but it got the job done. Afterwords we stopped into Dunkin' Donuts for coffee.
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| Most normal doughnut: Boston Creme. Least normal doughnut: "Pork Floss" |
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