Yuck, I know. Who wants to think about being sick and whatnot when you’re studying abroad in a new country? But this is something that I have found really needs to be addressed- as we are a month into our program, and literally everyone in our group is sick.  Most people have a cough, but I have a rather annoying cold that won’t go away. It’s 82 degrees outside today and I walked around with a thick jacket on. Brrr.

I was actually the first one out of our group (from now on addressed as H-23 [the 23rd group to go to Hangzhou]) to get sick, getting a fever only two weeks after we had arrived! In Hangzhou, it rains a lot. It was raining on the day that I went to meet the senior editor of an English-language magazine that I am interning for- and I got caught in the rain while waiting for the bus. And a few hours later, I got a fever. I had a fever for about two days, but on the second day, I only ate fruit and took two vitamins. Throw in lots of sleep, and I was feeling much better the next day.

In the past few years, I did not get sick very often since I got into the habit of watching what I eat and exercising. However since arriving to China, admittedly I have not been eating enough fruit or working out as much as I usually do. I think that has made my body weaker or more vulnerable to any illnesses. The main lesson of today’s post is: no matter where you are, it is still important to take care of your body and your health. Make sure you are getting the proper nutrition. (and if you are planning to travel abroad, bring medicine just in case. I made the mistake of thinking, “Oh I never get sick in the US, so it won’t happen in China either! I’ll just bring some advil, nothing else.” Biiiiig mistake on my part. Now, I am sick again. It’s not as bad as the fever, though it is slightly more painful because I have to use the tissues here in China- ouch. I bought a pack of Hello Kitty tissues because they were Hello Kitty and adorable. But these tissues are deceiving- though they’re cute, they are rough as sandpaper. Where’s kleenex when you need it?

However something that has been really helping with my cold is drinking lots of tea. I went to a tea museum about a week ago and bought premium lychee-black tea, which is delicious! The tea museum was actually one of my favorite things that we have visited so far. At first I was slightly apprehensive: I love tea, but I wasn’t sure just how interesting this museum could possibly be. But it turns out there is a lot of interesting facts they have there! You really get a glimpse of just how important tea is to the Chinese culture. The museum itself was beautiful- it was very modern and spread out over a garden. So you had to walk through the garden to see different exhibits. For example, one of the rooms was filled with different kinds of tea displayed behind hundreds of small windows, and about 6 different phones placed around the room. You pick up a phone, press the number that corresponds with the number on the window of the tea you want to learn about and it will tell you (in English or Chinese, your choice) about that particular kind of tea.

Tea is BIG here in China, so for an avid tea drinker like myself, it is paradise to see so many tea shops! And if you haven’t tried tea or think you don’t like it- give it a shot if you ever come to China. There are so many different types of teas here that you might find one that you love. I’ve seen two people in H-23 go from “Tea is gross” to “Give me another cup!”. My personal favorite is 冰绿茶，iced green tea.  It’s delicious, and its great for your health.

On that note, I am off to go refill my tea bottle with some more hot water before I settle down and start studying. Talk to you soon!