First off this week, I want to thank everyone who voted for Tales From Hebei over at My New Chinese Love for the Lotus Blossom Award. If you haven’t heard already, Jocelyn’s Speaking of China won the award this year, and I send my congratulations to her. I was honoured to be nominated after only a year of blogging and appreciate people taking the time to vote for me!
Next…the post.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner and in the spirit of the season, this week I present to you, my ode to my husband.
Yep, this guy!
He’s honestly the best husband I could ask for, for so many reasons. I’m sure your husbands are pretty good, but mine is far and away the best.
When he’s not making me laugh and providing me with fodder for this blog (speaking of which, just yesterday he confused the words “cucumber” and “barbeque” – there’s not really a story behind it, but I sure laughed!), he’s busy working at providing us the best life he can. He took care of arranging the majority of our wedding himself, since the language barrier made it nearly impossible for me to contribute much more than opinions. He is patiently trying to help me learn more Chinese and trying to find a way for us to purchase our own home. He is a loving son and grandson, and I’m thankful to his family for raising him so well. He has a great smile and a kind heart.
But my husband’s best features just might be his ears.
I know, you might think it’s weird, but one of the things I love about him the most is that he listens. I’ve lost count of the number of times I have mentioned something once, only to find him taking care of it just as soon as he has the time. Here are a few:
If something is in need of repair in our house, all I have to do is tell him and he will either try to fix it himself or track down a worker to come and fix it. From dripping faucets, to washing machines that don’t spin, to lights that have shorted out, he takes care of it all. And he even cleans the hair clumps out of the shower drain without me even having to ask!
The instant I mention feeling even a tiny bit under the weather, he interrogates me about my symptoms and comes home laden with medicine for me to take. He dispenses advice (no spicy food if I have a sore throat, drink more hot water, have some ‘easy’ food like porridge if my stomach is upset) and chats with me online from work to see how I’m feeling and make sure I’ve taken my medicine ‘on time’.
OK, my husband didn't get me this particular medicine, but just LOOK at the colour! It reminded me of a cleaning product!!
While out shopping one day and walking past a cell phone accessory stall, I said (half to myself) that I wanted to remember to look online for a case for my e-reader so I could carry it with me in a bag and not scratch it. A week or so later, a parcel arrived from his mother, containing a little hand-knit pouch just the right size for my e-reader! Gee, I wonder how she knew…
One day as I was cooking lunch and coughing up a storm in our kitchen, I happened to get grumpy and rant a bit about the mould that grows there (I happen to think that living in a mouldy house doesn’t exactly help my respiratory system’s health – crazy, I know). Just as soon as we finished eating lunch, he locked himself in our cold, unheated kitchen for the next hour to scrub as much of the mould as he could off the ceiling and from behind and underneath the cookstand.
After racking my brains trying to think of something that I could get for his mother and grandmother as gifts at Spring Festival, I finally asked him one evening if he thought they would like a small piece of needlepoint if I made them one (hey, I used to do the odd cross-stitch kit when I was a kid and it’s like riding a bicycle). Although he doubted my ability to actually do this, he agreed and a couple of days later came home with all I needed to make a couple of pieces. Granted, they are gigantic pieces and unfortunately I didn’t manage to finish even one of them in time for Spring Festival this year, but it’s the thought that counts, right?!
Like two peas in a pod!
And just in case you need one more example of why my husband is awesome, here it is. One evening, about a week ago, we were watching a TV show or movie online that mentioned “bubble wrap” and how awesome it is to just sit and pop the bubbles. I had to explain to him just what “bubble wrap” was, but once he knew, he understood and agreed that there is something inexplicably great about popping bubble wrap (some things are just universal, you know!).
Neither of us mentioned this conversation again, but then he came home from work the other day and announced that he had a present for me. I felt terrible, as I had nothing for him, although it wasn’t a holiday, it was just a regular old Friday evening. I told him so and he just shook his head, saying it wasn’t a big deal.
With crinkles at the corners of his eyes, he led me to the living room and started digging around in his backpack. Then he presented me with perhaps the best present ever: a piece of bubble wrap!
Just in case you’re wondering ladies, no, he doesn’t have a brother (China’s one-child policy and all).
Gah! The whole time I was reading this I was thinking, “Yes, but does he have a brother?!?” So, next question, “How about a cousin? Does he have a nice single, male cousin?”
Hahaha, I’m so sorry, Sally! He does have a male cousin, and I’m guessing he is single, but he just finished high school last year.
You are blessed indeed to have such a great husband. That part about not taking spicy food when you have a soar throat, drink more hot water and take “easy food” like porridge when you are under the weather is so Chinese and made me laugh. Our parents told us the same thing when we were sick, and this still happens in Chinese households here in Malaysia. And between Chinese couples too. Happy Valentine’s Day to you both!
Thanks so much! I can only hope that I do a few things that make him feel as lucky to have me as I do him. I do my best to follow his advice when I’m sick, if only because I know I’ll have to listen to the “China has a very long history…” argument if I try to disobey!
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Hmmm. Why did he get you that god aweful looking cough syrup? You should tell him to get this one : 京都念慈菴川貝枇杷膏 (“King-to Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa”) – a traditional Chinese cough syrup made from Loquat (Chinese plum) leaf.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nin_Jiom_Pei_Pa_Koa
I was seriously addicted to that when I was kid to be honest (we don’t have sweets at home!)…I would drink it even when I was not sick! I mean, its that tasty! ……..Gawd, now that I think about it, I think its like condensed Maple Syrup….. I wonder if it tastes good with pancakes………
Also, tell your husband to get a bottle of anti-moulding spray, it makes it easier to clean, and prevents moulds from growing back. Sometimes its so effective one spray and the mould/fungal growth would just fall right off! Just be very careful with it – wear a mask while doing the spraying cause it usually contains large amount of calcium chloride in it and when you spray – it becomes chlorine gas! I thought I almost died few weeks ago when I was locked in the shower box spraying half a bottle worth of it and scrubbing while breathing it all in. NOT A GOOD IDEA.
We have a bottle of that other cough syrup you mentioned (it’s getting hard to find in our area for some reason). The reason for the other stuff (which he did NOT buy, actually, my Chinese boss did & had to show her ID card to purchase – must be serious stuff!) is that I had been sick and hacking and coughing for about 5 months, had been to 2 doctors already and tried various medicines, none of which completely got rid of what I had. By this point, I knew I needed something strong, and my boss took me to a third doctor, he sent me for chest Xrays, blah blah blah, ended up I had some sort of infection (lung? chest? throat? I was never clear on exactly what) and had to take that syrup plus some really strong pills to get rid of it.
As for this anti-mould spray…where can I get this? He cleaned it as best he could, but obviously the mould is in the walls already so just cleaning the surface won’t get rid of it – it keeps coming back. This spray sounds like it could be worth a shot.
Woah, sounds serious.
Its not pneumonia is it?
As for this anti-mould spray – the one I use is called “Power Force Mould Away” and they sell it at Aldi (German Supermarket chain). Its strange the only product link I can find online is this : http://www.nclonline.com/documents/download/1691/0/MOLD%20AWAY
According to the label on the bottle the main key ingradient is Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl). Looking it up on wiki it says : “Sodium hypochlorite solution is commonly known as bleach or chlorox, is frequently used as a disinfectant or a bleaching agent.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hypochlorite
This was last winter – I first started feeling sick in November and finally got over it at about the beginning of April (thanks for the ONE day off, bosses…). I suspect it may have been some sort of pneumonia, but with the language and translations, I never did hear exactly what. They did the chest X-ray but said it wasn’t in my lungs…sure could have fooled me by the way I was coughing and wheezing. Oh well.
I may get husband to do some looking for anti-mould spray here. If we have to live here, I’d prefer it to be as mould-free as possible (that obviously is not a requirement on the list of standards for foreign teacher housing, though). Thanks for the info!
Actually, after some more googling – I think it might not be a good idea to use Sodium Hypochlorite / Bleach as anti-moulding agent. As Jennifer Harshman explained :
“Bleach is commonly believed to be an effective fungicide (mold-killer). In one situation, it may be effective: on hard, non-porous surfaces such as a countertop or shower stall. On porous surfaces such as walls, floors, ceilings, and cabinets, however, it is not effective – in fact, it can actually feed the mold and make the problem worse. Chlorine bleach is mostly water. The water in the bleach carries the active chemical ingredient known as chlorine (sodium hypochlorite). Several sources, including bleach-mold-myth, say that the chlorine in bleach remains on the surface of the wood and does not soak down into the wood.
Mold grows in colonies, sending out branches as it grows. Killing one part of the mold will not kill the mold. Instead, the mold comes back. If it has been fed by using bleach or some other household cleaner, it comes back stronger. The chlorine does not soak into the porous materials (wood, wallboard, ceiling tiles), but the water in the bleach does. The bleach might kill the mold that is on the surface of the wood, but because the chlorine cannot penetrate the wood, it will not kill the mold structures that are underneath the surface.
The water soaks down into the porous material to where the roots of the mold are. Moisture is one of the few requirements mold has. Now that even more of the wood has become moist, thanks to the water in the bleach, the mold can spread into that area and continue its feast. Using bleach on mold is like cutting off some of the leaves of a plant while feeding the roots, and thinking that the plant has been killed. The plant will just grow more leaves, and the plant will be stronger because it has been fed.
The Clorox ® Company, OSHA, and the EPA all have determined that bleach should not be used in mold remediation. Bleach is ineffective and unsafe for cleaning up mold or killing mold. It appears to kill the mold, but just the surface mold is affected – the hidden mold underneath the surface is alive and well – now it’s doing even better. The mold says, “Thanks for the food! See you in a few days!” and the surface mold will soon be back.”
http://jennifer-harshman.suite101.com/using-bleach-to-kill-mold-backfires-a115960
http://www.spore-tech.com/viewCategory.asp?idCategory=78
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html
A better alternative is to use Vinegar or the Tea tree oil
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/three-ways-to-kill-mold-naturally.html
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/kill-remove-mold.html
Youtube Video : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eWMrxMUV44
Also, after hearing what you been through, I think I am starting to get the whole picture….
I think you got what’s called a “Sick building syndrome” (SBS) – “a combination of ailments (a syndrome) associated with an individual’s place of work (office building) or residence. Sick building causes are frequently pinned down to flaws in the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Other causes have been attributed to contaminants produced by outgassing of some types of building materials, volatile organic compounds (VOC), molds (see mold health issues), improper exhaust ventilation of ozone (byproduct of some office machinery), light industrial chemicals used within, or lack of adequate fresh-air intake/air filtration (see Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value).”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sick_building_syndrome
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mold_health_issues
With a moldy dwelling – you run the risk fungal infection, mold-induced hypersensitivity, allergic asthma or allergic rhinitis, mycotoxins poisoning..etc etc. Now that I think about it, I think almost every male relatives including my father had athlete’s foot which is a type of fungal infection back when I was growing up in Taiwan – I think it may have to do with high humidity as well.
And since I been living in Australia and New Zealand for so long I have completely forgotten just how humid Asia is! I remember when I was a kid we even had a dehumidifier back in early 80s!
And this brings back to one of your old blog post :
“The REAL Reason Chinese People Open Windows in Winter”
kjsandor says:
January 17, 2011 at 11:33 PM
“Our house isn’t too bad, since I keep the windows as closed as I can….”
“Well, you see, China has a very long history…”
“But if China changes, then it will become like Russia and our country doesn’t want to end up like them,”
LOL! Now that I think about it, my mom wasn’t wrong!
Evil bad air do exist!
Generally speaking a house is more humid inside than it is outside – so, by opening the window, you are letting the humid air out, and having cross ventilation increase the air exchange rate from inside to outside tremendlously, and decrease the humidity inside the house.
The kitchen is probably one of the worst aspect of asian apartment design (due to lack of space) where it is often neglected and put at the area where there is little to no cross ventilation (often just one small window to the side). It is warm, and it is humid (cooking the meat and vegetable releases the water inside into air). It is a reason I think getting a fume extractor is a good idea (“range hood” for you north americans!) – remember this has to be ducted to the outside or its pointless to install one – it only spread the moist air from cooking to the whole kitchen unless you directly vent the moist air to the outside).
Which brings us back to why Chinese People Open Windows in Winter……..
This is a adaptive response to the environment – a custom that now most Chinese have long forgotten why even in the first place – I think one of the explanation my mom told me once was to “rid of the evil bad air”. Now in this new context, I started to see that she is not wrong, the “evil bad air” being the moisture/moist air that could cause the mould to grow and causing people to get seriously sick. This is never really a problem in the west due to the fact that most western houses are built using timber which can absorb and regulate moisture inside the house. A cement building can’t so the excess moisture creates a very humid environment for the moulds to flourish. This is also compounded by the fact in most of the developed asian cities there are very little vegetations or plant life around in city (trees, forest..) where it plays a huge role in regulating the humidity of the environment. In western countries a house is usually surrounded by trees and gardens (and parks!), where vegetations would absorb the excess moisture and water in air. As China modernize, cities grow, deforestation occurs and this is the consequence. And most cities been densely populated there are hardly any parks around that can absorb and regulate these excess water.
Anyway, to cut long story short (and stopping myself from more ranting!!)
1. Its probably advisable to open doors and windows to create cross ventiation when you are living in asia.
2. Get rid of those moulds as soon as possible, they are hazardous to your health. Use natural methods as not to poison yourself – vinegar, tea tree oil seems to be effective.
3. Get a dehumidifier and regularly dehumidify your kitchen, bedroom, or wherever it is needed. If you keep your house dry, moulds can’t grow.
4. Get a DUCTED “fume extractor” (AKA “range hood” / cooking canopy) for your kitchen. Remember ducting a rangehood to the outside gives better steam extraction than using one in recirculating mode. Non-ducted one merely circulate and diffuse the steam to the whole kitchen making it humid and moist, ready for the mould invasion!
I hope this helps!
Wow, if I ever need to research something, I’m going to get you to do it instead, OK? Anyway, I’ll do a bit of looking and try to find something to treat the mould, we already have a fume hood for the stove. The open windows is just not gonna happen a whole lot in the winter though – have I mentioned that it’s still cold in my house even with everything closed? I’ll be damned if I’m going to heat the outdoors!
LMAO, yeh I am nerd what can I say, and research is my hobby!
Oh don’t forget, get a dehumidifier (if you don’t like opening the windows….) !!
Haha, it’s OK – as I said, next time I have a problem, I’ll put you to good use! As for dehumidifier, I’ll consider, but the weird thing is that even with this, and the fish tanks, it’s extremely dry in our house (I wake up and my mouth and throat are parched).
Hey Kelly, I know I’ve been slow to get back to you here (tough week, long story), but I just wanted to say thanks for the shout-out at front. You were a worthy contender for the award, and you still are one of my favorite bloggers. So keep up the good work, and keep spreading the fun.
Hi Jocelyn, I know all about long weeks (you don’t even want to know the update on my passport situation), so no worries. I love your blog too (also, thank you for linking to mine on your page – it drives a lot of my traffic
), and congratulations again!
Oh no, the passport situation is still going on? Yikes. I guess I’m not the only one cursing February this year then…
Oh, you probably wouldn’t believe it if I told you… Aiya!