The Architect – Taiwanese Architectural History
During this period we are now investigating the architecture built during the Qing Dynasty. This period lasted from 1683 -1895. The Lin Family Mansion completed around 1847 falls during this period. The preserved architecture of Taiwan includes several temples. Since this period represents a few centuries, we will be spending a longer period during this investigation. We had a brief departure back to Toad Mountain where we attended a public exhibition. Returning to Toad Mountain, even with the expanded context of Taiwanese architectural history was enlightening. I was able to see the spatial constructions with a different perspective. It was our plan this week to visit the Mengia Longshan Temple that was built by Fujian immigrants in 1738. However, because Leila came down with an unexpected illness; we had to put our visit on pause. There comes a time when the matriarch roles supersedes the architects and this week was one of those weeks.
The Matriarch – Nurturing Leila
Leila and I had to have our first experience with the healthcare system in Taiwan. Now, we are both fine, but she encountered a virus that resulted in a fever and mysterious rash. Health insurance for me is immediately covered as a Fulbright scholar in Taiwan’s universal healthcare program. Leila’s coverage will begin after six months of residency. Unfortunately, she needed medical service before the six month time period. Another small issue is that we were both covered under my husbands family plan and in the interim, he happened to switch jobs, so at this time Leila is not covered under his plan. Actually, none of this was a huge problem for us. Leila had a total of four doctor’s appointment in the past weeks,and I paid for her uninsured appointments out-of-pocket. The appointments ranged from $30-$50 for each appointment. This fee also included the necessary prescriptions. The pharmacy is located in the doctor’s clinic and when we checked out, we paid and retrieved our pharmaceutical needs in the same building within minutes. When we arrived to the appointment, I came with several books, an Ipad, and crayons and activities. When going to the doctor, especially without an appointment, I’ve learned to anticipate a long wait. For all four visits, we waited no longer than 10 minutes. The system’s advantage is its efficiency. Each time we entered the office, the waiting room was completely full.
Life in Taipei – Language Challenges
My Mandarin is improving, but not to the extent that I can have a conversation about allergies, history of skin sensitivities, and medical history. When I first took Leila to the doctor, I noticed a rash on her skin. It was extremely unusual because she has no allergies of note nor has she ever broken out before. It was pretty strange. I dropped my commitments for the day, and immediately took her to the clinic that was in the neighborhood on Tuesday morning. The first diagnosis was a doctor who spoke very little English (still much better than my Mandarin), but had a nurse translate for us in the appointment. He was so apologetic for his English skills that I started to feel badly. She was given a topical treatment, and we were told if there wasn’t improvement by Thursday we should return. I took her back to school assuming it was an allergic reaction. Wednesday, she went to school and by noon, I received a phone call about a fever. We returned to the same clinic. We saw a different doctor. Her diagnosis was still that the rash and the fever were unrelated. We were prescribed a fever reducer and continued the allergy treatment for the rash. Thursday, we proceeded with this treatment, but Friday, when we woke up with the a spreading rash, we went back to the doctor. We were diagnosed and re-prescribed an antibiotic. We finally started to see some progress on her health.
There are so many variables at play in our experience that it is difficult to draw any conclusions. I’m grateful that all of the appointments were affordable since we do not have health insurance. I believe the incorrect diagnosis was maybe a result of a system where doctors are seeing a high quantity of patients daily, and a result of me not being able to communicate so clearly about Leila’s medical history and symptoms.
As a professional mom, I really felt it this week. I had to put any work on hold and my priority became making sure that my daughter was well. Between naps and doctor’s appointment, I was able to fortunately work from home and am glad this is an option available to me. The largest limitation was the inability to visit sites, but in other very positive news; Leila became an actual bike rider without training wheels, and she managed to do this with a fever.
Learning Mandarin
我們家在大安捷運站附近。早上我的女兒去學校上課。我的女兒週末早上常常去踢足球。他早上八點開始上課到九點結束。踢足球很有意思, 但是他不喜歡看比賽。週末早上, 我去台南學建築,房子,和大樓。我和我的女兒坐公共汽車到高鐵. 我在網路上買車票. 在高鐵 , 我們看多本書。高鐵有快，又舒服，跟很好喝咖啡.我們坐計程車到安平古堡去. 計程車很非常貴. 我們參觀安平古堡 . 我們在台南從中午十二點玩到晚上六點。我們每個週末都沒空最近我們忙.我們喜歡參觀台灣 和我們喜歡多照相.