Just like most of America, we started celebrating Christmas right around Thanksgiving. Now that we’ve lived here for over a year, I thought it would be a good idea to invest in some actual Christmas decorations. Last year, I made everything out of construction paper. It was a true #improvchristmas.
The pollution situation being what it is, I’ve been singing my own rendition of It’s the most polluted time of the year to the tune of It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It goes something like:
It’s the most polluted time of the year
With the kids going crazy
And everyone telling you upgrade your gear
It’s the most polluted time of the year
It’s the smog smoggiest season of all
With those thick grayish skies and the burn in your eyes
And friends are appalled
It’s the smog smoggiest season of all
There’ll be filters a-runnin’
No time for sunning
And taped up windows ’til spring
There’ll be scary air stories
And tales of the glories of
blue skies long, long ago
I really started to be concerned about our indoor air quality after the baby was born. It’s not that I didn’t care about Haddon’s lung health, but I figured he had a year-and-a-half of good air in the states and was probably not as vulnerable to the pollution as his little brother. I grew up with asthma, and can still remember the annoying practice of using an inhaler every time allergy season started or when I had to run for P.E. outside. Even as an adult, I had to use an inhaler once when I took a trip to a particularly dusty part of Arizona. My uncle also died from lung cancer when he was in his thirties. He was a heavy smoker, but it makes me paranoid that we are genetically susceptible to lung problems.
You know how they say “ignorance is bliss”? Well it is, and it isn’t. I couldn’t stand not knowing how bad or not bad our air quality was. When the 11-11 sale came around, we purchased a nifty AQI monitor called the Laser Egg. It confirmed that our indoor air quality was less than favorable. We taped up all of our windows and sealed every vent that we could. Our efforts helped, but didn’t alleviate the problem.
Origins Laser Egg
Some time ago I joined an air quality group on Wechat. They discuss all sorts of issues regarding air quality, and there are a few air quality experts who chime in from time to time. I got wind of a company that specializes in assessing and fixing air quality for homes and offices, so I decided to contact them. I chatted with a guy, who I’m guessing is the owner, and asked him a million questions before deciding to hire them. The whole process took a little over an hour, but they were very thorough. He was very patient in answering all of my questions and gave me detailed explanations for why certain things work, and why others don’t. They cleaned and checked all of our air filters for effectiveness and gave recommendations for what would work best in our space. Thankfully, the giant, bulky, air purifier I recently purchased received his approval. He recommended that I get two more to replace our other, more expensive machines.
H “working” alongside the assessment team. And our new air purifier. Two more are on their way.
In an effort to approach life with thanksgiving, I’ve been trying to find reasons to be thankful for the pollution. We’re currently in a red alert, which is when the AQI is projected to be over 200 for four or more days. You all have snow days, we have pollution days. All the schools in the area have been shut down until the red alert is lifted. The good news? Alex doesn’t have to go to work for most of the week. The bad news? We’re confined to our apartment until the pollution gets to a reasonable level. It’s generally not recommended for children under the age of three to wear any type of mask because it can hinder their breathing. So we’ll be inside for a while. We’ve had quite a few tantrums and a lot of cabin fever, but we’re doing our best to make the most of it. I recently bought a bunch of secondhand, kid-friendly DVDs from a moving sale, so I’m hoping we can have them as a back-up if we’re all desperate for a diversion.
This is what an AQI of 500 looks like. For reference, the AQI in SoCal is usually around 30.
As I reflect on our current situation, I’m finding more and more reasons to be thankful.
I’m thankful for…
- Knowledge. I know more about air quality than I ever thought I would know or need to know. I’m also thankful for a community of expats who are knowledgable and willing to share their knowledge with others.
- Employment. Alex works hard to provide for us, and it has more than paid off in the money we’ve had to spend upgrading, adding to, or improving our air quality. We’re currently on our third “round” of masks; we’re doing an unofficial test of different masks to see which ones work the best.
- Family time. We haven’t had a lot of time to spend together as a family. Alex is out working during the days, and has various min activities at night, so we usually only have a few hours during the day when we’re all together. Even though I wish it were under better circumstances, it’s nice to have extended time to rest and enjoy each other’s company.
- Delivery. This is one of the great things about living here. You can get pretty much anything delivered. I’ve been having my groceries delivered for the past week, and did all of my Christmas shopping online. I honestly feel bad for the delivery people, though. I’ve thought about buying some disposable masks and handing them out each time a delivery is made.
- Controlled heating. Most of the apartments here use government regulated heating, which consist of radiators that are turned on around mid-November, and shut off in March. It’s free, but you can’t control the temperature. If it’s too hot, or too cold, you have to adjust accordingly. Pollution makes it a little bit warmer outside, which means it’s extra hot inside. I’m thankful we can save a little on our gas bill by turning down the heat.
- Anticipation. We’re getting ready for our trip back to the states, and our current situation makes the anticipation of that trip so much greater. We’re so thankful to be able to take this trip, and the opportunity to spend every day outside is an added bonus.
There are more, but I’ll stop there for now. I’m reminded that there is an even greater anticipation in preparing for Christmas. H and I have been doing daily advent readings, and I’m so amazed by our God. Talk about unfavorable circumstances! The God of the universe was born in a place where animals live, and subsequently do their business. I hate it when H accidentally pees in his bed, so I can only imagine what it must have been like for Mary to give birth in a dirty, smelly, stable. They all knew that something greater was coming; something that would make all of their discomfort worth it. I’m trying to remember that. My circumstances are so petty in comparison to the great reward that is coming. And I’m not talking about a reward that I earned because of my “suffering” (if you can even call it that). I’m talking about a reward that I can do nothing to earn, that I’ve done nothing to earn, and one that was paid for on my behalf.
My reading over the past couple of days was so timely. I hope it will bless you as much as it blessed me.
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. (Rom. 5:6-11)