Me vs. the mosquitoes

The most striking thing about Suzhou so far is the mosquitoes. Just kidding...sort of.

Imagine trying to get to sleep every night only to be ripped from the verge of blissful oblivion by whining mosquitoes dive-bombing your face. Pleasant, right!? Truly, the pleasure can only be exceeded by the delight that is waking up in the morning and looking in the mirror to find some fifty angry red bites all over your face, hands and arms. You can tell you slept on your left side and tried in vain to hide most of your skin, because the bites are concentrated on the right side of your face--presumably the only thing that was showing above the covers. Several bites across the knuckles may indicate that your mosquito-attacking skills may be somewhat lacking in the middle of the night.

You stalk off to town not once, not twice, but three, possibly four times, and finally, eventually, figure out what you can buy and get it home. With the help of your Chinese neighbour/lady in charge of teachers' apartment stuff, you erect what appears to be a lacy tent on top of your mattress, with your bedding inside. Bizarre? Absolutely. But oddly satisfying, in the end.

Jackie - 1
wen zi (oh yes, I've learned their Chinese name by now)- ZERO!!!!