camwyn | I've got the sweetest penpals, part 2

I've been worrying the past few weeks about how to approach my Chinese penpals on the topic of SARS. It's one thing to be at risk for a disease in your home country, but it's another thing entirely to voluntarily visit a country where a disease is raging and where you do not speak or read the language. (Being able to say 'I can eat glass, it does not hurt me' does not count. Neither does being able to read most of the words for food items, which I can at least do.) I want very much to visit China, especially Hong Kong, but I'd rather do it when it's safer. What I did not - do not - want is to upset or insult my penpals by saying 'errr, this disease thing's got me worried, I can't come see you'.

Today I got an email from my penpal in HK specifically about SARS, and about how badly it's affected businesses and people assembling in Hong Kong. She's all right. So's her husband, and so are their two daughters. But they haven't eaten out since March 22nd (they normally take the girls to lunch at the mall on weekends) and the schools have all been closed sine March 29th. They're hearing rumors of entire villages on the mainland coming down with SARS at one time. They've been told by WHO that it's likely to take 'three months to two years' to clear up.

She's asked me not to come. She doesn't want me visiting China or Hong Kong and possibly getting sick. She's suggested I postpone the trip until things are better.

I have the sweetest penpals in the world. I'm going to send her the copy of Realms of Tolkien that I bought to bring with me as a hospitality gift, and see if I can't find something else as well. Then I'm going to figure out how to let my mainland penpal know that I'm not coming - I don't want to violate any rules about discussing taboo news subjects and I know they're not being very open about SARS on the mainland for fear of panic. He's asked me to be careful about terrorism, though. Perhaps if I mention that, it'll seem a decent reason.