If I forget thee, Fuzhou
Things I want to remember about this trip to China. A to-be-modified list.

Standing with a section of dissected stomach in the pathology laboratories of the Fujian Tumour Hospital, while smiling for the Fuzhou television news cameras. Later in that same photo op, looking wise and pathologist-y while looking through a microscope at what was, to be completely factual, slides of perfectly normal thyroid. Being asked six times what my opinion of Fujian is. (Uninformed? Naive? "Please get some traffic laws enforced, and quickly too"?)

Strolling round the eerily empty grounds of one of Fuzhou's several gated communities, to which we were invited by a gastroenterologist at the Fujian Provincial Hospital. His house was huge by Chinese standards, and beautiful. A park in the center of the compound is surrounded by statues of Mozart, Schubert, et al. "What do the farmers do whose farms used to be here?" "They work in the development."

Industry Enterprise of Nanputuo Temple Xiamen, Vegetarian Dept. A/k/a the best vegetarian restaurant I have ever eaten at.

The abovementioned Nanputuo Temple, the first Buddhist temple I have ever set foot in. "Zey davenen! [They're davening!]" said Blanca as she watched worshipers with their candles. "Nisht genoy davenen, zey tuen tefile. [Not exactly davening, they're praying.]", I managed to come up with.

Blanca's kindergarten class at four forty-five, pickup time: thirty sets of hands grabbing at the wooden barrier separating them from their parents, while my daughter sits cool as a cucumber in the middle of the room, in her chair. "Oh, hi, Dad," she might as well be saying. "Here you are, then."