hospitals are typically such dreary places, but this one is surprisingly cheery. well, at least the staff are anyway. my mom’s passed out beside me, oxygen tube in her nose, IV’s in her arms, and a pump wrapped around each foot that inflates and deflates to promote blood circulation, i assume. the nurses here have been outrageously nice, especially the evening shift nurse – Annie – who is all smiles. what a difference it makes to have someone do something as simple as SMILE to make everything better and make you feel like maybe everything will be alright.
the last time i was in a hospital, i think i was visiting my aunt who had a brain hemorrhage. prior to that, it was to visit my grandma for the last time. prior to that it was to visit my dad, also for the last time (may they rest in peace). so yeah — hospitals and me don’t go well together.
i’m here to provide translation services and to help my mom, but there’s a part of me that wants to rebrand hospitals in my mind from something that’s totally evil to a place where sick or injured people actually get better. so far so good (knock on wood). her surgery seems to have gone off well. other than the typical symptoms of swelling and fever, she’s in good spirits. i actually had no idea what a hip replacement surgery even meant. from the size of the bandage that’s on her side, it doesn’t look as invasive as i would’ve thought. thank goodness. while the full rehabilitation and healing might take awhile longer, i’m glad she finally went through with it. she’s gonna get better (fingers crossed).
i’m going to have to figure out how to arrange the chairs to get some zzz’s tonight. they don’t allow overnight guests, but since there’s no one sharing the room, they’re letting me stay. there’s a nice view of the city from the window. it’ll be interesting to see what goes on at this time of night in hospitals.
Will Dao 