Essentials

In my travels to Asia (and China in particular), I have determined that there are two items that are essential in making life more comfortable. The first is a basic handkerchief. When we visited Hong Kong about ten years ago, I saw my cousin using a handkerchief to pat the sweat off her forehead. I thought that was a great idea, especially in the summer, since it’s so hot and humid there! It wasn’t until the last time I came to China, though, that I remembered the handkerchief idea, and it was great, with uses ranging from sweat-wiper to headband, to wristband, to washcloth. When we were in Korea this summer, it was so cold that my nose was constantly running whenever we were outdoors. I used up many a tissue just blotting nasal drip. So far during my stay in Beijing, I’ve been able to use my handkerchief for both blotting sweat (when eating spicy foods) and blotting snot (when walking outdoors). I just have to keep track of which part is the sweat part and which is the snot part.

The other essential item is a metal water bottle. My brand of choice is Klean Kanteen, but other options exist. Purified water is pretty inexpensive here, but besides the fact that the cost does add up, you also use a lot of plastic bottles. However, in dormitories here, there is often a contraption on each floor you can use to get potable boiled water. However, the water will quickly melt a plastic bottle (as well as leach out any potential harmful chemicals from the plastic). Local students usually have a large Thermos to get the water, but this isn’t practical for students only staying a couple of months. As a result, the Klean Kanteen is quite useful for getting the boiled water to cool for subsequent transfer to a re-used plastic bottle. You might realize, however, that the Klean Kanteen is simply made out of a layer of stainless steel, without any insulating material, making the bottle rather hot. That’s where the first essential item comes in. You can use it to hold onto the bottle without burning your hand! And now I’ve tied this entry together rather well.