Today we spent the day in Chinatown! Wow, I was totally amazed!! It is truly as close to China as you can get!! The look of it, the shopping, the restaurants, the people, their housing, etc. You actually feel as though you are in China! The restaurants even serves many items just as they do in China from choosing your catch from a tank to whole chickens hanging on strings. Everything in this area is written in Chinese even the street signs! We spent most of the day there going in and out of all the small shops, which are also just like in China! You can even barter with them! This is an entire (Chinese) city within the downtown city of SF. We saw the Chinese school and also spent a little time in the Chinese park. Here many older Chinese gather and play cards, exercise, and just hang out talking with one another. Miata really wanted to play on the playground but of course that is not allowed right now. Anyways, it's kinda funny that Miata definitely did not stand out rather it was me! All the looks were upon me walking hand in hand with this Chinese child. They were probably questioning why she had a bandage on her head and may even have thought what did that mom do to that Chinese child!? Anyways, aside of some of the stares, we really enjoyed our time here.
We later returned back to Arlene & Jack's for dinner. After dinner it was time for me to remove the tubes from Miata's ear! You may have questioned what those tubes were for so here's the answer... After Dr. Brent sculpted Miata's new ear then placed it under the skin (behind her existing small ear) he actually vacuum seals it (sucks the skin tightly to her head) placing the two tubes in to keep it vacuum sealed. I have been changing those tubes twice a day since the surgery. I had to pinch the tube together to keep the suction sealed then pull it out of the drainage tube (container) then place it into a new clean one. Then do the same for the second one. Anyways, Jack was playing cards with Miata so I ceased that perfect opportunity to remove them while she was occupied. I pealed the tape off and she didn't even question what I was doing for being so involved with the game (she also probably thought I was changing the tubes as normal.) Well with a downward motion I pulled the small tubes leading into that ear totally out in one motion. After they were out Miata looked up at me with the look of questioning in her mind "what did you just do?" I told her the tubes were out and she just smiled! Didn't hurt a bit! She is most happy to have these tubes out! As we have been out and about all the looks we (she) have received are of people mostly staring at those tubes. It is a rather strange look to have them taped to the bandage with blood going through them draining into the tubes. Oh, another great thing that happened today is that Miata needed no pain medication! So, again she is progressing nicely!