Medicine and Transportation

First of all, I’d like to thank everybody for reading the blog! The response has been overwhelming. Unfortunately I can’t go into more detail about my workplace than I already have due to NDA, so I’ll try to spice up my personal life here in order to keep it exciting.

It seems like a million things have happened since I last updated slightly over a week ago. Last Monday after work I went to play basketball with some coworkers (the first time in my life where I was one of the tallest players on the court) and got accidentally elbowed in the head, which opened up a gash above my forehead. My host mother took me to the hospital to get it stitched up, which was an interesting experience:

operating table

The hospital was a little dingy but all of the doctors and nurses were very nice. I waltzed in without an appointment and got my cut sewn up within about 15 minutes. After that I was given some amoxicillin (anti-infection) capsules and a tetanus booster shot. The total for all of these services? Around ¥80 RMB, or about $12 USD. Not to mention, I went in for free check-ups several times in the next few days to make sure there was no infection. The biggest nuisance from the whole ordeal was the bandage I had to wear on my head, as if people didn’t stare at me enough already…

my head bandage

You always read about how bad the US medical system is, but I didn’t expect “third-world” China to put it to shame like this. I would have waited for hours to get such treatment at any US facility, and the bill probably would have been at least a hundred dollars, even after copay! I’m not an expert on healthcare, but there is clearly something wrong with it in the States.

Another major development this week included the purchase of an e-bike in order to facilitate getting around town. E-bikes and scooters are very popular around here, and as a result, dirt cheap. I was able to pick up this model for a little over ¥1200 RMB, or about $170 USD. I doubt you would even be able to get the bike frame for that price in the US:

my new ride

As a budding engineer, I have to include at least some technical details. The electric drivetrain is an interesting piece of machinery:

batteries and rear drivetrain

The setup for these types of bikes is pretty simple. This particular model is basically just a 2-pack of 12V lead-acid batteries hooked up to a motor controller and in-wheel electric motor, which is also chain-linked to a set of pedals in case you run out of juice. I am still intrigued at how cheaply they are able to make these things. Some of the lower-quality models sold for under $100 USD! The scooter store also had some higher-performance lithium-ion models available in the $400-$700 USD range. Most of the people at Astronergy get to work either by bike or scooter:

bike/scooter parking structure at Astronergy

It’s nice not having to get into a car every time you want to go somewhere, and it also makes more sense from an environmental perspective. Why in the world do you need to lug around a 2-ton hunk of metal every time you go from point A to point B? It’s also more carbon-friendly to use energy generated from power plants (even if they are coal-powered), since they operate at higher efficiency regimes than your typical internal combustion engine. That being said, I don’t see Americans changing their driving habits anytime soon…

- Pu Anren