It was pleasing to hear that you are after all not afflicted with the dreaded SARS. I can really understand what you have felt and with your experience from that hospital. No wonder, China was badly hit by this killer disease. If such hospital situation will not drastically improve, I am pessimistic if China will ever control the disease.

*** One of the Shanghai high officials spoke in Mandarin to the public in last month, ” HIVs was firstly found in LA, USA, and can we say HIV’s are American’s diseases ? ” This had been a laughing subject in HK news but it’s a speech from a saint in mainland China. I had seriously agrued that with a mainlander.

I am wondering how the expats feel if they understand Mandarin but most of the expats in Shanghai are biz guys, not English tutor.

*** BTW, Mr. James Salisbury a American Tutor ( English teaching ) in Shenzhen contracted SARS and requested to be delivered to HK for medical help, it took 2 days for him to get the docs done from mainland to HK, unfortunately he died at the border of HK and I found this case was a invisible case. not counted in HK nor in Shenzhen.

*** I was advised by some mainlanders that there are some other mysterious diseases like ” hot blood ” already landed in China, which could make you feel warmer, body flushed with flu sympton and progressively weaken and die in a day or two.

We are very pessimistic about our future after 1997, 1 country 2 system is another big fat lie from China, the hangover is a bullshit. China is draining HK reserve and dragging us down by giving us 150 uneducated people every day ( immigrants that HK has no right to check their reference ) and hundred thousand legal workers acrossed the border daily to HK bringing their spiting, sneezing motion and pushing behaviours to us, we have no control to these people and the many possible virus and outbreaks coming.

I really hope you stay safe. I’m particularly worried you might get stranded in the middle of an epidemic there and the government won’t let you leave, ’cause that would of course suck.

If you’re back in philly by September or October, Fred wants you to come along with our class to an Uzbek restaurant (mmm, goat anus).

Take care of yourself

After reading your latest entry, I had to call your folks to make sure that you’re ok–and I’m certainly glad you are. I think you’ve got the beginning of a good article here–a China/SARS diary that a lot of people (especially here in the States) would be interested in.

I read Paul Theraux’s recounting of traveling by train in China and how he rode ankle-deep in spit, so I’m not surprised at the rampant spread of anything in China. Both the New York Times and NPR have written/talked about how the latest theory on the rise of SARS is that it started in the food markets of Guangzhou, being that all sorts of exotic animals are sold there (badgers, rats, etc., etc.). Is that theory getting any play in China?

I hope you’re feeling better soon–let us know.

Tata. Yeah, I would love to hear wat happen. Feel better soon.

If I were Brendan, I’d give serious consideration to getting the hell out.