Surprisingly Pleasant

First, a huge thanks to "Laopan" and his lovely wife for taking me to the Four Dragons Market, showing me around, and inviting me to a very delicious lunch. I was so happy to have your hospitality and knowledge, and you can bet that I will be back there very often!

On the subject of the Four Dragons Market, it's a really cool place. Inside. Outside it is a little bit scary, as there was a man wearing sunglasses clearly checking who went in. Next to him a large sign illustrated what was not allowed inside: smoking, cameras, dogs, or guns. Yay. Inside, though, were several clothes stands and in the back: food. Exotic produce, sauces, and spices. And several little stands in the back selling delicious food. I had noodles with meat and veggies with a delicious broth, which I made a complete disaster of with my chopsticks! I also tried chiled chicken feet, which were very tasty, if a little interesting at first. Anyway, it was a great lunch experience, and I was very happy to have had it, and very warmed at the hospitality of these two for helping some crazy girl who writes about her life on the internet.

As for the rest of the post, if you are very squeamish, maybe don't read it? I mean, it's safe for work or whatever, but... I don't know. Fair warning.




So this evening Lyla and I finally bit the bullet and headed to the gynecologist. Agi was going as well, so we felt pretty confident having a Hungarian with us, which wound up being a very good thing, because of course there were problems with the paperwork. Paperwork aside, though, this was my single best medical visit, ever, as a woman. The doctor was kind and personable. He listened carefully to my concerns and actually acted accordingly. The whole thing was treated as such a normal thing, without any of the shame that so often happens in America. No sitting awkwardly on a table in a paper gown waiting forever for the doctor, for example. I just went in when the doctor was ready for me, took off my clothes, and was examined. No stirrups, just shelves to rest my feet on. It was so much more comfortable and normal feeling, the whole thing, than anything in America.

Coolest of all though, instead of painfully poking around my stomach from the inside and out to examine my uterus and ovaries, they did an ultrasound. The doctor arranged the little screen so I could watch what was going on. I saw my ovaries, and then, suddenly, my uterus popped onto the screen, just the same shape as I'd seen it illustrated in books. And while I always knew this thing was inside of me, I actually gasped out loud at seeing it. I was just fascinated with the whole thing, with this, I don't know, capacity within myself. He printed off a picture of it for me, so I could take it with me. I'm thinking maybe I will put it on my closet door. How marvelous to be a woman.