I need to get out while I still can...

I've noticed that a lot of majorly bad things, like international-news-worthy things, have occurred in or concerning China since I first arrived here in January:
1. numerous and continued outbreaks of violence in Tib*t and Sichuan provinces, among others,
2. Olympics-related world drama,
3. the freak blizzard that turned many parts of China into disaster areas for several weeks
4. the recent earthquake in Sichuan that has killed thousands of people,
5. this new disease epidemic: EV71, which has already killed thousands of people

And then there's me with my bad luck in terms of health: I have had my fair share of infections, ranging from something like pneumonia, to a major infection in a blister on my foot, to an infection from shaving my armpits in less-than-ideal conditions (my dorm room bathroom!), and these mishaps have cost me majorly in US dollars, but at least I'm still alive. My minor concerns are nothing compared to what I see and hear about everyday here.

In light of this, I think it's time I get out of here before anything else happens, to me or to China in general. But at the same time I feel like China's so big and has so many people that bad things like this are so common and are bound to affect many people, but the rest of the world rarely if ever hears about these tragedies. For example, I follow the China Daily, the English-language newspaper of China, and every week it seems that I read about a train accident, or a bus falling off a mountain road, or a freak accident along those lines... or there's the everyday tragedies in Beijing that never go reported and nobody cares. Like people getting hit by cars ALL THE TIME. Lauren and some of my other classmates have seen people run over by cars. Nobody stops to help or anything, people just keep driving or walking, whatever. Traffic laws are a joke and nobody gets in trouble for running a red light or just driving whenever and wherever you feel like. People tailgate closer here than I stand to some people when I'm talking to them, and I have seen the riskiest, most daring, most reckless driving here. People don't care about their cars or their safety so much as getting to their destination. Nobody wears seatbelts and when you cross the street you are ALWAYS doing so with the knowledge that you are in fact risking your life. And as I said, if you get hit by a car, poor you. If you call for an ambulance for somebody in an emergency, the ambulance dispatcher will only send a vehicle if you can guarantee a form of payment upon their arrival. A classmate witnessed a man having a grand-mal seizure and the ambulance wouldn't come because it was unsure who would/could pay. This is what happens when you have the world's largest population: people stop mattering. In Beijing you will get a ticket for parking your car in the wrong spot, but NOTHING happens if you hit a person with your car. NOTHING. I have confirmed this with all of my Chinese friends. These kinds of things terrify me.

It's time to come home. I know I get irate about the state of our health care system in the US, but at least I know that if there's a medical emergency, somebody will come to my aid - in the US the payment problems are left until after they save the person's life. But then there's always the people who don't seek medical care when they need it because they can't afford it, and that problem's the same in the US and in China.

I only have a few more days here and it feels weird. I am so excited to see my mom and Jake and Kev, and to finally be home again, but at the same time, I don't know what life is going to be like when I return. China changes you. That's for certain, if nothing else is.