急救车上

好吧，现在说说我是怎么进来的。

当地时间5月7日早上7点13分，我从休斯顿乘坐西北航空公司的飞机到亚特兰大，自亚特兰大转机到东京，又从东京到北京。大家也都知道了，北京落地的时间是差一点12点，一路走来，将近27个小时。

当飞机即将在北京降落，当我看到地面熟悉的万家灯火的时候，我的眼睛湿润了。想着以前的时候，多少次出差回来坐红眼航班回北京，看到一地灯火，心里都有种暖暖的感觉。这次和以往没有特别的区别，只是这一次，回家的感觉更加强烈了——10个月了，我终于回家了。

闲话少说，还是说说一路的行程吧。

5月6号那天，完成最后一门考试之后两个小时，我怀着惴惴的心情，坐大巴到了休斯顿。要知道，College Station的口罩脱销了，我一点自我保护都没啦！虽然之前看新闻，说口罩也不是特别管用。有些国家甚至要提议大家不要戴口罩，以免造成恐慌。但是戴上口罩，心里就觉得安全一点。

大巴上就三个人，没人戴口罩。

晚上住在布什国际机场旁边的一家酒店，也没人戴口罩。

7号早上在休斯顿机场，没看见谁戴口罩。

从休斯顿到亚特兰大的飞机上，只有一个人戴口罩。

从亚特兰大到东京，看到几个戴口罩的，大多数是亚洲人。

休斯顿布什国际机场

亚特兰大机场

罗嗦了这么半天，我是想说，在美国，大家还不觉得H1N1是什么大事儿。虽然口罩在College Station脱销了，可是谁也不戴，都等着看是不是会进一步发展呢。记得回来前几天和一个教授聊天，他还说：普通的流感也会死人呢。我想你到了休斯顿之后只要别去party，就应该没事儿！

东京成田国际机场，单看这一角，没有任何的危机感

到达东京，气氛一下子就变了。飞机刚刚停稳，呼啦呼啦上来一堆全副武装的日本官员——护目镜、口罩、头套、防护服、橡胶手套。其中一个年纪稍大的女士，用带着日本口音的英语广播了一通，意思是我们要检查啦，谢谢大家的配合云云。之后就来了另外一位女士，拿着红外线体温探测仪，挨个扫描 —— 当时感觉万分被动，就像等着挨枪子儿一样。在她后面，是一位年轻的女士，负责收我们填好的健康报告表。每收一份表格，都要询问下一站的目的地是哪里，然后填上。就因为这个，整个过程巨慢。当时我还想呢：让我们填表的时候填上不就好了？至于这样吗。接着说检查过程吧，如果发现谁的体温升高，检疫人员会给一个电子体温计再测量一次。不过不知道那天是怎么回事，好像体温计都不太好用。我看到我前面几排的一个人，用了一个体温计，又换一个，一直换了五、六次。总之检疫过程很慢，虽然有几组人员同时做这件事，还是至少用了半个多小时。

好不容易检疫结束了，走出飞机，我终于拿到了第一个口罩——是日本边检官员发的。进了机场，发现几乎所有的国际航班都延误了。我要乘坐的NW29，先是从7点多推迟到8点登机，然后继续推迟，最后推迟到9：40登机。之前我还不理解，现在终于明白了——原来NW29上的乘客，是从四面八方来东京的，每架飞机都要检疫，NW29本身也要检疫，加起来时间就长了。

我是戴着口罩上NW29的，但是放眼望去，整个飞机上就那么两三个人戴，我也摘了下来。后来才知道，那位生病的大哥就坐我前面几排，真是小心驶得万年船啊！

NW29上的设施不错，每个人的座位前都有一个互动媒体，可以看电影或者玩有些。我小睡了一会儿，吃了晚餐，看了Ink heart，不知不觉飞机就到了。

北京机场等待检疫的人群

北京机场的感觉，说实话比东京好多了。一方面我回家了，另一方面没有人冲到飞机上对着每个人扫描。在边防检疫，还是有体温扫描，不过如果不小心你都不会注意到。当时我没注意到，心想：电子屏幕上播放的全是应对猪流感的措施，为什么连个体温都不测啊！这两天看电视，才明白北京机场的体温扫面是怎么回事。

然后就是打车去田卉家，白天见同学、吃饭、购物，第二天重复第一天的活动。如果那位大哥不生病，估计我又shopping了两天，看了两天的同学和朋友。不过发生了的事谁也改变不了——11号凌晨1点半，隔离序曲奏响了。

当时我已经睡着了。朦胧中听到田卉的手机响，她接了没几秒钟，就把手机给了我：“萝卜，你老爸”！我迷迷糊糊看了看表：1点半，心想，老爸怎么啦！！

一接电话才知道，我坐的飞机上有人成了疑似病例。因为当时我在健康表上留的是家里的电话，区疾控的人把电话打到我家了。老爸说，这些人都整夜不睡觉，处理这事儿呢，你快给他们回个电话吧！

回就回吧，我把电话拨了过去。对方很客气，问了我一些情况就挂了。这下好了，我睡不着了。在床上翻来覆去的，田卉和肖肖都跟我说：别想了，睡吧！她们哪儿知道，以我的经验，区里的问完了肯定报市里，市里弄不好报省里，最后肯定是报北京，这一级一级的都得给我打电话啊！当时真后悔——应该直接留田卉的电话得了！（哈哈，田耗别生气啊。）

期间迷迷糊糊睡着了一会儿，又分别接了区里的一个电话，市里的电话，朝阳疾控的电话。最后一个电话，人家说：我们等会儿去找你啊！

于是，清晨5点多，我拖着一个大行李箱下楼了。

天已经亮了，小区门口停着两辆车。一辆是疾控中心的，一辆是急救中心的。我一边走，一边听到门口的几个保安和早起的人们议论：她是2单元的吧？

没办法，只好装酷了。我面带微笑走到了疾控中心的两个工作人员跟前——他们都戴着口罩，另外两个急救中心的gg穿着防护服——帮他们完成了问卷调查（开玩笑，是个表格），在他们的帮助下把东西拿到了急救车上。然后一个急救中心的工作人员对我说：我们一会儿就到啊！

这一会儿就一会儿了半个多小时。原来他们也不熟悉路况。过了一会儿，发生了一件事，把我乐坏了。走着走着，我看到路边有几个走路晨练的老太太。这时候急救车靠边停了下来，其中一个人探出头去，说：请问国门饭店怎么走啊！这时候三个老太太不约而同地往后退了一步，其中一位说：哟，你可别这么跟我们说话，吓死了！不过后来，她们还是给指了路。

她们往后退的时候，我已经在车后面已经忍不住笑了起来。一直笑到到达宾馆。

进门

迎过来的医生们

宾馆有两道门。过了第二道门，就到了我住的楼前了。车一停，两个医生马上迎了上来，给我测了体温。这时候又有服务人员带我去登记。他们的态度都很好，我问介不介意拍照，他们也都说不介意，还帮我拍，hoho。

登记

哈哈，宾馆工作人员帮我拍的

入住了之后，又有两个北京市疾控中心的工作人员，一个帮我测了体温，一个做了详细的调查——我把以上的行程，从College Station算起，都告诉他们了。我也拍了照片，可是其中一个人不太愿意公开，所以就不放上来了。

后面的事情大家都知道了，朋友们给我送来了至关重要的生活用品和沟通工具。于是，我又开始网络遨游了。

    OK, now I should tell how I got here.

    Local time 7:13am on May 7^th, I flew from Houston to Atlanta, then Tokyo, then Beijing. The plane landed in Beijing around 12am local time on May 8^th. I traveled about 27 hours.

While the plane got ready to land, while I saw the sea of lights in Beijing, my eyes became wet. There had been so many times when I came back to Beijing in the evening after business trips. Whenever I saw the lights, I felt warm inside. This time was not so different, but more intense. After all, it had been 10 months. I was finally home.

    OK, no emotional stuff. Let me tell you about the trip.

    Two after my last exam on May 6^th, I was on a shuttle to Houston, worried. You gotta know that all masks in College Station were sold out! Although news said that masks were not necessarily effective to prevent swine flu. Some countries even suggested people not wear masks, in case it would cause panic. But with mask, I would just feel safer.

    There were only 3 passengers on the shuttle. Nobody wore a mask.

    I stayed in a hotel next to the airport that night – nobody wore mask.

    In the morning of May 7^th, at Bush airport, no body wore mask.

    There was only one person with mask on the plane from Houston to Atlanta.

    From Atlanta to Tokyo, there were several Asians wearing masks.

    Well, my point is, I felt that nobody really thought H1N1 was a big deal in the U.S. Although all the masks were sold out in College Station, nobody wore it – I felt that they would not use it till it got worse. Several days before I came back, I talked with Professor W. He said: people could die from normal flu too. I am sure you would be OK as long as you do not party in Houston!

    Everything seemed changed in Tokyo. Right after the plane landed, several fully equipped (dressed like in bio-lab) Japanese officials boarded the plane and started the quarantine procedure. One lady broadcast the quarantine requirement. Another scan everybody with an infrared thermo checker one by one. That moment I felt like I was waiting for a bullet, lol. After her was a young lady who collected the health form we already filled on the plane. She was pretty slow though, because she asked every transfer passenger what was the next stop. I was thinking: why don’t they just ask everybody to fill that directly in the form!

Anyway, people who was found with a high body temperature by the infrared thermo checker had to measure their body temperature with an electronic thermometer too – once confirmed with high body temperature, the person would be taken away. Something was wrong with the thermometers that day, so I saw one person was given a different thermometer for about 5 or 6 times. Anyway the quarantine was really slow in spite there were several groups of people handling the whole plane. It took about half an hour to an hour for them to finish it and let us got off the plane.

    Right after that I finally got my first mask – the officials handed out one to every passenger. After I walked into the airport, I found that nearly every international flight was postponed. My plane’s boarding time was postponed to 8pm, then kept being postponed for several times and finally got confirmed at 9:40pm. I did not understand why at first. But I know now: NW29 gathered people from several planed flew form the US. Every plane, including NW29 needed to be quarantined.

    I boarded on NW29 with my mask. But when I looked around, there were only 2 to 3 people with mask. So I took it off too. Several days later I heard that the guy who got the flue was just sitting several rows in front of me. No wonder they say “Caution is the parent of safety”!

    NW29 was apparently much better equipped than the one I took from Atlanta. Everybody had an active media in front. So I slept for a while, had my dinner, watched Ink Heart, and then the plane landed in Beijing!

    To tell the truth, I felt much better in Beijing compared with Tokyo. On the one hand, I was home. On the other hand, there were no officials scanning people one by one on the plane. At the quarantine, there was still body temperature checker, but it was just a door you need to walk through.

    Then I went to my friend’s place. In the day I meet some other friends, dined out, and shopping. The second day I did pretty much the same. If that guy did not have swine flu, I should have shopped and met friends for another two days. But nobody could change what had happened – the quarantine sinfonia started from 1:30am on the 11^th.

    I was already asleep at that time. While half in dreams I heard TH’s phone ringing. She gave it to me after several second: L, your father! I looked my watch: 1:30am. What is wrong with my father!

    While then my father told me about the suspected patient on my flight and asked me to call the local CDC back. They called my family because I left their number on the health chart.

    Then I called them back. The person who answered the phone was very polite. He hung up after asking me several basic questions. Well, then I could not sleep. TH and my sister told me not worry too much and go back to sleep. But I know that the local CDC in my district will report to the city’s CDC, then to the provincial level, then to Beijing. Every office might call me! And that was the way the government worked. Well… if I knew this would happen, I would just gave the TH’s number directly.

    I slept for a little while, before and after which I got 3 other phone calls. The last one was from the CDC in Chaoyang District of Beijing, they said: We would come to you in a bit.

    So, about 5am in the morning, I went to downstairs with my suitcase.

    It was already bright. There were two white vehicles downstairs outside. One was from Chaoyang CDC, one was from the emergency center. While walking to them, I heard the guards and some early people saying: Is she from Unit 2 of the building?

Oh no… now I can only pretend to be cool… So I went to them, wearing a smile. The two CDC people were wearing masks. They two emergency center people were wearing protection suit (like space men). I helped them finish the questionnaire (well, actually a form), and got on the van while they helped me with my suitcase. One of the emergency people told me: we will arrive in a bit.

    Well, “a bit” took more than half an hour, as they were not familiar with the route. Just then, something really funny happened. After travelling a while, the driver pulled over. Then the other guy stuck his neck out and talked to 3 old ladies who were walking outside on the road (they were doing their morning exercise): excuse me, how could I get to Guo Men Hotel? The old ladies, nearly at the same time, all stepped back in shock. One of them said: oh no! Don’t talk to us like this. It is so scaring! But anyway, they pointed the road.

    I started laughing while they stepped back, till we arrived at the hotel.

    The hotel was behind two gates. Right after the second one was the building I live now. Two doctors came up as soon as the van stopped and measured my temperature. Then the hotel service person took me to register. They were all very nice. I asked them if they mind I taking pictures, they said they did not. The girl working for the hotel even took two pictures for me.

    After arriving at my room, two Beijing CDC employees came. One measured my body temperature again. The other one did a really detailed questionnaire – including all the places I visited 7 days before I started the trip. I also took pictures. But one of them do not want them be on internet. So, I will keep it for myself.

    Well, now everybody knows what happened next: my friends sent some daily stuff (such as shampoo and body wash. It is not that the hotel does not have them, it is just that I want to use my own) and laptop. So I could surf online again!