Dr. Eric Freeman writes from China
Pictures from China by Dr. Eric Freeman5/3/08 1030pm Destination: Nanjing, China
Finally arrived at my final destination, on time surprisingly. The jetlag is starting to get to me. Stepping off the plane I could feel the humidity hit my face. There should be an anesthesiologist awaiting me named Dr. Zhao. I hope he is there, otherwise I have no idea where I am going and I will probably get ripped off by a taxi which happened the last time I was in Beijing. I wonder if he will be standing there with a big sign with my name on it in Chinese? That would certainly be a sight to see. The airport is rather quiet since it is getting late. After getting my luggage, I exited the terminal. I noticed a gentleman approaching me and in a low toned voice I heard, "Dr. Freeman?" I breathed a sigh of relief and answered while shaking his hand. Dr. Zhao escorted me into a car with a driver. We got acquainted and he offered me some water. About a half hour drive was ahead of me to the hotel where I will be staying for the month near the hospital. Dr. Zhao's english was very good and we had a nice little chat. He met Drs. Saubermann and Shay the last time they both visited Nanjing. Nanjing University Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a 1300 bed, 10 OR hospital. They are in the process of building more operating rooms to be completed in 2 years. Dr. Zhao told be that 10,000 surgeries are performed annually, about 30-40 cases per day. There are 10 attending anesthesiologists as well as a residency program. Occasionally like myself, they have exchange doctors visiting from other countries. Finally arriving at the hotel，it started to rain in a downpour. Dr. Zhao arranged everything for me quite well. He gave me some food for my little refrigerator and also some "post-it" notes with both English and Chinese on it with some important contact information should I get lost. We are to meet for lunch tomorrow. I am exhausted.