blog post written 3 days ago on March 14:

Finally arrived in Kunming at midnight with quite a welcoming entourage …what a great start to the adventure here!

I arrived to my new apartment with my two new caregivers waiting for me … actually running outdoors into the courtyard in their pink pyjamas to meet me!

Also on hand to greet me were Sandra and Pierre, a lovely German couple who have lived for years in Kunming and who really did so much extraordinary work to supervise the build-out and furnishing of the new aprtment before my arrival.   A huge Thank You to Sandra and Pierre!

So, I wake up in the morning with two Chinese caregivers who don’t speak English and speak Chinese with a Yunnan dialect … and I am trying to use  Mandarin Chinese to direct them with my Mom’s help …this may take a while.

I spent the first day out and about at a Chinese farmers’ market and won’t be getting ready for the surgery for another 7 to 10 days.  I will update you guys about the surgery in a few days.

My second day in Kunming and I wake up with severe autonomic dyslexia….that means, when you are paralyzed, that you don’t feel pain in the normal way because normal sensory feedback channels are damaged.  So, whether your bladder is too full, or you have an internal infection, or you broke your leg … whatever the source of provocation to your body, you display seemingly unreleated symptoms such as high blood pressure, headaches, fever, shivering, goosebumps, to name a few.  Anyway, I awoke with severe shivers and a high temp yesterday.  Dr. Zhu, the head of Kunming Walking Programme, rushed me to the hospital … Murphy strike 2.

It turns out I have a very serious urinary tract infection (aka “UTI”) and high fever….bummer. So, that is why the surgery has to be postponed.  Of course, this would have to happen right now!  After a painful last night, I can report I feel much better, but I am still stuck in this hospital bed for a few days.

I did meet the entire Kunming Walking Programme staff and patients, and  I love them. They are all so sweet and helpful. They all came to visit me in my hospital room last night when I was so sick and people were literally crying over my obvious suffering … it’s a revelation to take in how much the Chinese people here care, even for a foreigner they’ve just met.

I apologize in advance over the next few weeks as I will be writing this blog from my phone until I get my computer setup with voice to text set up.  There may be some typos.

Alright, I have some doctors walking in to poke and prod me.  Will write in a few days.

Zai jian!