Friday, August 15, 2008

10:11 pm

Today we realized that Qingdao is HUGE. We left the hospital at 10:30 am & after an hours drive, we reached our first destination...the beach. It was hazy (I think it was the humidity because it kept fogging up the camera lens). The smell wasn't the best but it was a nice view. We spent $1.57 on sea shells at a seaside stand since we were unable to get any of our own. We had been told to stay off the beach because of possible sand fleas. After we left there, our journey began. Our driver took us down roads made for one vehicle with oncoming vehicles flying by us. We would get behind a slow driver & he would go around them with cars coming at us. I thought we were going to die. We finally made it to our 2nd destination: Jimo. It's a huge indoor flea market. Apparently you never pay tag price for anything. If you pay more than half price, you paid too much. It consists of 2 stories below ground and 2 above ground. I was on the lowest level thinking that we could easily be buried if an earthquake hit. Anyway Jimo consists of hundreds of stores about the size of our spare bedroom. We bought 3 pairs of name brand thongs for a total of 70 RMB's or 10 US dollars. We got a couple things for our family back home but we just weren't into the shopping scene so we decided to leave early. Apparently our driver thought we would spend 4 hours shopping so he left the van & didn't return until 5 pm. We hung out on the steps in front of the van for 2 hours waiting for him to come back. After Jimo we went to a hotel/restaurant for dinner. The Shangri La was a really nice place. They had a buffet so we ate until we couldn't eat anymore. Unfortunately they don't tell you how expensive it is until you go to pay. We nearly choked over our 1254 RMB bill. It was the best meal we have had since boarding the plane in Colorado Springs but it will also be the last time we eat there. We got back to the hospital 10 hours after we left it - completely drained. Good thing the weekend is here so we can just relax for a couple of days before we have treatment #2. Monday's treatment will also be Brandon's first spinal. We've explained to Brandon what to expect and he's being such a good sport. He's ready to get started. Pictures: 1st - Hanging out at the beach 2nd - Dolphins statue (it would look better at our house!) In the background you can see the ships. 3rd - You thought your job was bad. This is China's version of the "garbage man". We watched him pull that "wheel barrel" thingy up & down that steep road gathering trash from the garbage cans. 4th - Jimo on the right side with the red roof. I was so scared Nick would run off. We would've never found him in that crowd.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

1:29 am

Treatment Dates:
1st: Wednesday - August 13, 2008 (IV)
2nd: Monday - August 18, 2008 (Spinal)
3rd: Friday - August 22, 2008 (Spinal)
4th: Friday - August 29, 2008 (Spinal)
5th: Wednesday - September 03, 2008 (Spinal)
6th: Wednesday - Septmeber 10, 2008 (Spinal)

10:19 PM

Today Brandon was finally able to leave the floor after they took his IV out. We decided to get the kids out and go to the park. We walked from the hotel room to the park (about a mile away). It was in the 90's today with the humidity as high as ever. We thought it would be fun for the kids but they were miserable. Since Brandon CAN NOT get dehydrated we only made it to the front of the park. Maybe next time.... So we went back to the hospital and had water & fruit ice cream cones. Tonight they had a pizza party on the floor. Today we asked the interpreter what "potato strips" were & we learned that they are french fries - AND they are! They are almost like American fries (they just don't have salt which is fine with us). We also ordered spaghetti. It's actually better than American spaghetti! It's spicy with jalapenos which make it really good. It had meat balls in it & I tried not to think about what animal that meat came from. We had to eat early so we could take mom, Courtney & Nick dinner. John, Brandon & I walk outside and it's pouring down raining. Not a single taxi could be found so we start walking to the hotel. I had rubber thongs on & they kept slipping so I ended up taking my shoes off. We looked like drowned rats by the time we walked the half mile to the hotel. We were almost to the hotel when 2 doormen ran out to us with umbrella's to help protect us from the rain (it was a lost cause - we were drenched!).We learned today that we shouldn't tip people here. Apparently they can lose their jobs if they accept tips. Every since we arrived we've been giving the food delivery guys & the door men who find us taxi's all a small tip (10-20 RMB's which is $1.42 - $2.85 US dollars). Tomorrow we get to go sight seeing for the first time. We are going to the beach and to Jimo which is like a large flea market. We're looking foreword to seeing something outside of our 1 mile radius.

Pictures: 1st- Family picture in the park - Qingdao, China 2nd- They have people here on bicycles who pick up trash from the streets. They are everywhere! Guess that explains why you rarely see trash on the ground. 3rd - A 3 wheel pickup in front of The People's Hospital where we are staying. 4th - These motorcycles are every where! Apparently they're the vehicle of choice here. 5th - A great scenic picture.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

1:06 pm

Brandon had his first stem cell treatment today (about 2 hours ago)! This morning he went in for his normal acupuncture and afterwards they put in an IV. It took them 2 times to get it in and Brandon didn't cry at all!! The stem cells were an hour late getting here but as soon as they arrived, the nurse took us into the IV room. Today he received the stem cells through an IV in his hand. (The remaining 5 treatments will be in his back). The nurse (Jessica) that started the IV was so good to Brandon. I think she's one of our favorite ones. She told us that downtown Qingdao is beautiful and the ocean is nice. She said that there's several old buildings downtown so we're looking forward to venturing out this weekend. The nurses are all so nice to us & go out of their way to help. We finally have the smell out of our room so it isn't bad now. We dread leaving the 8th floor - that's when stuff really smells funky. We appreciate the emails we're receiving - Thank you! It helps make the days go by quicker. Hope everyone is well back in the States - we miss you!! Photo: Brandon with Jessica receiving his first stem cell treatment (see the yellow bag??)

8:10 pm

This morning Brandon had acupuncture - again he didn't mind the needles protruding from his forehead which is a good thing. He just lies there for the entire 30 minutes that they're in. Today he didn't even feel it when they took the needles out. We saw the Dr. during acupuncture so afterwards we were free to roam. Later he went down for x-ray and an ECG (apparently their version of an EKG). He has his first stem cell treatment tomorrow morning at 10:00. This one will be an IV and the rest will be in his spine. We are looking forward to beginning treatment. We took a watermelon to the hotel for Mom & Courtney. Last night I bought a watermelon, 2 big bowls of ramen like noodles, 2 ice creams & 2 waters for 28 RMB or 4 US dollars. Tonight we bought ice cream from the downstairs lobby. John bought a drumstick & I bought a small container of purple ice cream. I couldn't figure out what it could possibly be....it was popcorn flavored ice cream. YUCK! They also had corn flavored ice cream. At the airport in Korea I saw a guy eating corn on the cob. I thought it was a little unusual to be eating it at the airport - now I understand. These people just really like corn. We went to the RT Mart today hoping to find something edible. For some reason John wanted to go through the meat department. We saw bins of liver, chicken feet, chicken neck, and some type of string meat. Not stringy but a ball of string meat. It looked pretty gross & the smell was even worse. We bought a loaf of bread, peanut butter, some type of orange drink that tastes like Tang (that actually isn't too bad), tea bags, sugar, & Tide (they only have it in a bar form like bars of soap). Oh and we found chocolate milk - they are in little bags. Brandon & Nick really like them but Mom & John thought it was gross. Brandon is the fortunate one. We stock piled his cinnamon toast crunch so he should have enough to get him through this trip. Hope everyone is well there. We miss you guys & are counting down the days until we get to come home! Photos - 1st: Brandon is having an ECG the day before his receives the first stem cell treatment 2nd: The scenery here is beautiful! 3rd: Chinese products - from left to right - children's powdered milk, sugar, powdered orange drink (like High C), cappuccino, and Tide in the bar form.

Monday, August 11, 2008

8:53 pm

This morning Brandon had blood work done as well as accupuncture. He did really well with that even though the needles sticking out of his head look bad. Since he handled that so well, we decided to do it 5 days a week. He will receive his first treatment on Wednesday. We are really looking forward to it! The other patients, their families & nurses are so nice here. It really helps especially since we're already getting homesick. Tonight I ordered a small supreme pizza.....bad idea. It had pineapple & corn on it. For some reason these people like corn on everything. Corn and Thousand Island. I also ordered a fruit salad tonight which was covered in diluted Thousand Island. Nothing like eatting bananas, pears, watermelon & Thousand Island...... I want Taco Bell!!












Pictures: 1st - Outside our hotel room in Seoul, Korea 2nd - The RT Mart in Qingdao, China. The RT has multiple levels and you check out on the bottom floor. 3rd - The hospital that we're at in Qingdao. 4th - Brandon's 1st acupuncture. He doesn't mind it at all!

Sunday, August 10, 2008

7:42 am

We are in Qingdao. We made it in yesterday afternoon (China's time). It was a LONG trip & every one's glad that the plane trip is over. We were able to see the Grand Canyon an hour and a half after we left Colorado Springs -that was really cool! We got lost at LAX and everyone we asked sent us down a new direction. After walking for an hour we finally found Tom Bradley International. Before we boarded Korean Air, we had to go through the metal detector. The lady who was in charge started yelling at us. I went first after I finally figured out what she wanted. As I got through the detector, she started yelling. I turned around to see what she was yelling at and I accidentally bumped into the detector. That got her attention and she yelled "What you have!?" I said "I don't have anything, I bumped into the metal detector". She said "You clothes too big, must search!" So that was the highlight of LA. We landed in Korea and as soon as we stepped out of the airport, the first thing that hit us was the humidity. Living in Colorado really spoiled us. I didn't realize that the humidity could be so bad. Everyone was drenched within 15 minutes. We stayed in a Best Western in Seoul, Korea. It was a nice hotel & we slept good despite the hard beds. (Here at the hospital we are sleeping on box springs - no joking). The next morning we went downstairs for breakfast. We were in for a rude awakening....for breakfast they had a buffet. We had soupy scrambled eggs, boiled bacon, little wienies, and fruit. (they also had corn but for breakfast we passed). With the exception of the fruit, nothing else tasted anything like American food. Being next to the airport, it was expensive. We paid 122.00 US dollars for that "breakfast". On the plane from Korea to Qingdao we were served a rice platter (garnished with some type of raw meat & pink fuzzy stuff) & some kind of either meat or vegetable cut into strips. Despite the smell, I had to try it so I could say I did. The rice was nasty but edible. The pink stuff stunk as bad as it tasted. The red meat/vegetable strips was down right disgusting! It was hard but chewy & very spicy. I couldn't make myself swallow it! When we arrived in China, they x-rayed our bags and pulled us aside to look through our DVD's. Apparently they wanted to make sure the movies were appropriate. We got through customs and met Jack for the first time. Jack is one of the translators. He's a very cheerful guy and we immediately liked him. Leaving the airport we almost hit a car. If I don't have heart failure from their driving, it will be a miracle. They swerve in and out of traffic - don't know what the speed limit is - they probably don't have one. They all go one speed though.....FAST. After we took Courtney, Nick & Mom to the hotel, Jack took us to the hospital. The first thing we noticed was the smell. The people are really nice & friendly but the smell is something that I will never forget or get out of my clothes. We are in room 9 on the 8th floor. We have a great view of the mountains from our window. We met a few Americans and everyone is so nice. After we dropped our luggage off at the hospital, Jack took us to the RT Mart. It is a 7 story shopping center that has everything. Jack grabbed a shopping cart & off we went. We started on the 2nd floor which is the grocery section. To get the the 2nd floor, we had to take an escalator that has no steps - just a steep floor that moves. Nothing really looked familiar except the fruit (well even some of that was unfamiliar). Instead of packs of chicken, they have unrefrigerated bins with chicken parts - legs in one bin, breast in another, etc. People were picking through the chicken legs looking for the good ones. It looked unsanitary and all I could think of was salmonella. We bought chips, crackers, grapes, plates, cups, soda, napkins, plastic silverware & containers. Everything was pretty cheap compared to the US. Photo's: 1st - looking out over the Pacific Ocean on Korean Air 2nd - Courtney in Seoul, Korea. Waiting on a bus to take us to the Best Western Hotel. The humidity was bad!! 3rd - Our first experience with an Asian toilet at the airport in Tokyo, Japan. 4th - Nicholas drinking his first Asian Coke on the plane going over the Pacific Ocean. 5th - In Los Angeles, California at LAX - That's the plane we took to Seoul, Korea. 6th- Courtney, John & Brandon waiting for our flight in Los Angeles.