It’s my third day in Yichang, and I finally have a bit of time to send out some emails and do a little work. The past few days have been rather busy as I’ve been with a new group that is doing the bio-markers collection. This new effort has lots of issues of its own that needs to be figured out, but it’s a great learning experience to be here interacting with the people who will have to do the real grunt work.

Phlebotomists practicing blood draws -->

<--- Handling the blood samples

I have discovered also that I am not the only one with some linguistical difficulties. It is hard for the Mandarin speakers to understand those from places like Hunan and Heilongjiang where local dialects dominate, and require some translation of their own.

We are staying by the Yangtze river, only about 4-5 miles from the 3 gorges dam. It is rather picturesque here as we are surrounded by mountains and is it persistently misty here. However, it is also extremely humid and hot, which makes being outdoors a real challenge. My running has suffered.

A diorama of the 3 gorges dam. the Hydroelectic part of on the left, and the right side of the river is for transportation (locks system) -->

Tomorrow, I might have a chance to check out the 3 gorges dam before I leave in the early afternoon for Beijing. Will make sure to take pictures! Otherwise I am looking forward to heading back home to be with Marc (although battling the jetlag again won’t be fun).

My time here has made me realize that anything is possible in China so long as there is government backing. Here are a few anecdotes that backup this point:

• When I consider how massive and complicated this survey efforts is, I’m amazed that they ever pulled it off (this study has been going on since 1989). This project involves over 1000 interviewers, over 20 organizational bodies and almost 5000 households every time.
  


• I was informed that in spring, it can get really dry especially in the North. The government would then order ‘rain seeds’ to be launched, which help the rain clouds gather and basically create rain. The saying that one has no control over the weather does not apply in Beijing.



• The 3 gorges dam: enough said

I will post pictures from this trip once I return home to Carrboro, so make sure to check back in!

~ Shuwen