In the past 5 years, I have found that this is a country full of the following illnesses. I don’t know why, but I wanted to write something about my findings:

• Asthma: The only famous person I know who had Asthma in China is the singer and the little sweetie Deng Lijun. And I knew this until I heard the news of her death many years ago. She actually died of Asthma. I thought she was just a very individual case on that, but after I came to Australia, it looks everybody around you at least has one family member has Asthma. Why????
• Hay fever: I believe that every one in Australia has been a Hay fever sufferer at different stages of their lives. They sniff, sneeze, have running nose like a child and have watering eyes like they are crying for something, they take the allergy tablet and they use the nasal spray. Everyone comes to you and says “there must be the pollen”, “ I have Hay Fever” or says “I have sinus”. I am a good example. I don’t have nose problem when I was living in a heavily polluted Chinese environment where the smell of fuel and dust is full of the air. But now I use the drug every year.
• Skin cancer: I have seen too many oldies who have skin cancer and suffered from their ulcer skin. Did they love sun too much when they were young? I am not blaming them for being a suffer playing on a beach or get tanned because they want to be a bit darker, or doing the gardening all the time. But who else has been left for me to blame?
• Depression: When I was studying in the Uni, one of the articles said that 70% child care workers in Australia are suffering from the depression. I couldn’t believe it. As a former psychology majored professional, there was no way to make me to believe it. So I had a bit argument with the lecture who gave us the material. But you know what? Now, I believe it’s true, or at least it can be the truth. I have heard so many people saying that their friends or family members have been diagnosed as depression. What I don’t understand is what make them feel so bad when they have Medicare, live in a house, drive a Honda CRV, get so many days’ leave from the work, can have as many children as they like and don’t have to work extra hours after 6pm or take care their old parents at home. They should have been sent to China, and their depression will all get cured without treatment.
• Arthritis: They always say to you “Oh I am sometime in a lot of pain”. And then you see those terrible standing-out joints on their bodies. Okay, what can I say? I though arthritis only happens on people who live in the areas with humid climate. But my brain has been totally refreshed since then.
• Swollen legs and ankles: How could some one’s ankles are the same thick as his/her legs? I always wonder that when I see people passing by me with this sort of problem. I am so sorry for them. They are not fat at all, but they have big elephant legs;
• Obesity: I am not going to get into the details. Please check out yourself on the street….