Made in China

By Kenneth Cairney

A young man with a passion for travel and a hunger for new and exotic life experiences jumps at the chance to move to rural China. Life in Zibo proves far from his expectations and eye opening to the harsh realities of life and medical care in the PRC. With the help of a sudden unknown illness he discovers the potential true cost of his wanderlust.

A nonfiction short story. Words: 7,446

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Cairney
• Release date: Aug 13, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311957467

Book preview

Made in China

Kenneth Cairney

Copyright 2014 by Kenneth Cairney

Smashwords Edition

I have come to the conclusion that I will die much sooner than I once thought. The young always seem to count themselves immortal—or at least they don’t take their mortality serious enough. There is something different in their state of mind. They don’t have the average adults fear of death; something that many adults find worrying. This can often be a positive thing. It is this same lack of fear that will give them many of the amazing experiences that they will reminisce of in old age. Disregarding their own safety and diving head first into new experiences propels them into situations that can try who they are as a person. Sure, the more cautious lives equally full—at least in their eyes. It is purely subjective as to whether these life experiences are worth the danger. I personally, would say they are. I accept that my stance is a completely biased view, but I feel I have had a close enough experience of what could have been the end, and am now qualified to have a strong opinion on the matter. You may disagree with me; and that is your right. My experiences were gambles that have changed me as a person. They have made me stronger and weaker at the same time, but more importantly they made me more appreciative of what I have experienced, what I may experience and the premature end that I am rapidly falling towards.

I am still a young man. This period of lacking self-safety is still recent. In my eyes it is bright and clear. I was guilty of this lax in self-preservation and at the time I would have denied it. Most young people would, but generally the longer lived and more experienced still see them as reckless. Now, I do too. I see the young man I used to be, and he was reckless. If he only knew the trouble that would befall him, he might have been more cautious. Even if I could go back and warn him, he wouldn’t believe me. He would assume