It's Monday and we're kicking off another week. Unfortunately, I think Dean passed his cold virus to me and now I'm battling major congestion. I spent much of the weekend resting and sleeping, trying to fight off a head cold.
My troubles are minor in the grand scheme of things. We are fortunate that we're far enough away from Japan (about 3 hours by plane, and over 1,300 apart) that we didn't feel or experience any impact from the horrible earthquakes and tsunamis ravishing the country. We live on the edge of Shenzhen Bay with water always in sight, and I occasionally have nightmares about a wall of water washing us away.
I keep seeing updates on yahoo.com about nuclear power plant troubles, and my heart goes out to those in need right now. Events like this are a constant reminder to us of how far away from our family we are. I worry more now about the affects of natural disasters than I did in Atlanta, where the occasional tornado or thunderstorm warning was our biggest concern.
Instead of major catastrophes, we're battling a daily grind with depressing levels of pollution in Shenzhen. It feels like we're living in a cloud due to the constant haze and white smog around our building. Visibility is only about a quarter of a mile, and even that is questionable.
I came across this blog post when googling "pollution in China" and it really hits the nail on the head: 7 Things you should know about China's pollution problem
I couldn't have said it better myself.
I know the pollution is really high right now, but I can't find anything from the Chinese government that confirms it or tells me just how high the level is. I can look out the window and see it in the form of a hazy white cloud, or feel the sting in my eyes and throat at the end of the day, but I don't know how it officially compares to polluted cities in USA. I'm not even sure I would want to know! For now, I'm just considering this a stay inside kind of day.
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