Smokestack

So there is a system used to measure the pollution in the air, and it lets humans know if they should go outside or not.  It has become a habit for us to check the AQI once or twice a day.  Sometimes we check it hourly.

All I know is what AQI means.  Air Quality Index.  I don't know how it works, and I don't know how they measure it.  I've never had to worry about it until now.  And all it is is a number to me.

I'd say out of my four months here, 75% of them have been between 100 and 200.  That is, according to the US government, unhealthy for sensitive groups to unhealthy.  And according to Beijingers, it is totally normal.  The other 25% of the days have been beautiful (below 100) or awful (250 and above).  For the most part I don't stress about it.  It's just another thing I deal with living overseas.  The kids' school won't let them play outside if it is above 150, and I won't play tennis if it is bad.  No big.

This particular day was a Saturday.  We really wanted to go to the second hand store near us to check out the Halloween stuff.  The AQI was between 350 and 400.  It has only been that bad maybe one or two other days since I've been here.

Since we really wanted to go, and since the air was so bad, we decided we'd wear masks.  They aren't the most effective masks ever, but I'm sure they were better than just breathing the air.

The pollution sucks for sure, but our lives aren't full of masks and coughing fits.  I feel like there is a reason to stay inside in just about every place you live.  In Salt Lake it was because it was too cold.  In Phoenix it's too hot.  In Jakarta it was too humid.  If only we could all live in San Diego.  There are lots of beautiful clear days in Beijing.  And I think we enjoy them even more than we would otherwise.