I awoke to an e-mail that said Suzie had taken her Mother to the hospital for her third cancer treatment during the night when the bed became available. She had to arrive at the hospital with US$6000 before the chemo-therapy could begin. A year ago her Mother found a lump in her breast, but kept it a secret as she did not want to go to the doctor. She finally went to the doctor for another reason, the doctor found the lump and wanted to admit her to the hospital immediately. She begged off and said she needed to go home and get ready. She told no one about the need to be hospitalized. The next morning Suzie answered the phone and found out the truth. The doctor was going to call back about the admittance papers, and she and her mother ran all over Beijing that day so they would not have to answer the doctor's phone call. I asked why they would hide, and all Suzie would say was that neither one of them wanted to go to the hospital. Her mother finally had a mastectomy, and is now on her third round of chemo, and she STILL doesn't want to go to the hospital. I asked Suzie about public health care, and she said it is very poor and virtually non-existent. People from the country also come to the city because they think health care will be better. She is covered by the government health insurance, but she and her family are also covered by a private insurance policy she bought. However, once you max out on the private policy, you can never buy another private policy again. Her mother is maxed out, and Suzie must now pay cash. The doctors get low government pay, but they also earn income by recommending and giving treatments such as chemo...a "simple" way to increase their income...so they always want to have their treatment beds filled with cash-paying customers. Socialist capitalism at work in the PRC!
Suzie sent one of her friends, Maria, to serve as my guide. Let me say, no one can substitute for Suzie, but at the very least, I had someone who spoke Mandarin to get me around. Maria is from Harbing where they have the ice festival each year. She started with a jewelry company there after studying two years. She was transferred to Beijing where she met her husband who also works for the firm. The firm does not allow married couples to work together, so she had to quit her job...one reason she became a licensed guide. She has passed all the tests for Beijing, and will be working on her tests for the rest of China's tourist hot spots. She comes from a family of 3 girls and 1 boy. She was sent south to be raised by her grandparents who are farmers. Another sister was raised by an aunt. The three sisters are all now scattered across China, and the 20 year old brother is living at home and going to university. She told me about her wedding...one service first with her husband's family in Beijing, a dinner with her family in Harbing...no official wedding because of the distance between all concerned.
Maria took me to the park surrounding the Temple of Heaven. Every morning the retired folks who live in the surrounding high rises come to the park to dance (ballroom and line dancing), sing, play instruments, crochet, and play cards, dominoes, and Chinese checkers. I just kept snapping pictures as we walked to the Temple's entry...great fun!
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