If anyone claims the following is not worthy of the title "adventure," I challenge you to an appointment - in french.
Last night at 0:51 I remembered I had an immigration medical exam this morning at nine. Well, at least I remembered. Anyway, I got up, told the office I might be late for my 11 o'clock class and headed to the office. They explained I would have an x-ray and an eye-exam, as long as I wasn't pregnant. Good news for everyone back home, I took both.
All of the assistants had their appointments at basically the same time, so I got to see everyone. I scored 10/10 vision and got sent back to the waiting room. Then I put on my jacket and walked around the corner to the hospital for a chest x-ray. Apparently, x-ray machines in France have not reached the technological level of those in the rest of the world, and I was required to do this bit sans clothes. I was less than thrilled. The results came back about 2 minutes after I had gotten dressed again. I took my x-ray back around the corner to the doctor's office and waited again.
Someone escorted me to one of a series of phonebooth size rooms where I was to again undress. The doctor would come and get me when he was ready. Because I am sick, there was no way I was going to sit in there and be cold, so I wore my sweater and socks too; I think I can handle the extra pound it might add to my weight. The little rooms all open into the doctor's office. (Who's behind door number 3??) The doctor was really nice, and he didn't make me take it off until he wanted to listen to my breathing and undergarments are permissible with the doctor (thank goodness). So then he sent me back to the phonebooth to get changed. When I stepped back into the office, he asked me a few more questions and then filled out the paperwork, gave me a medical note saying I was fit to play volleyball, and in 2 1/4 hours it was all over.
If they ever did this to you in the US, dressing and undressing you, I think someone would beat them. But, this is all part of the service at government medical offices in France. It is like they couldn't learn how to slide the stethoscope under my shirt to listen. At USC, they sued to bring a nurse in just to be in the room while the doctor was listening OVER your clothes. Oh well. I lived. One more adventure under my belt. Gotta run. Love always, ~Heather
P.S. In case you have read this whole thing and didn't know I have a horrifying fear of being naked or about being in various stages of undress, I hope this clarifies my considering this an adventure. ~HB
Last night at 0:51 I remembered I had an immigration medical exam this morning at nine. Well, at least I remembered. Anyway, I got up, told the office I might be late for my 11 o'clock class and headed to the office. They explained I would have an x-ray and an eye-exam, as long as I wasn't pregnant. Good news for everyone back home, I took both.
All of the assistants had their appointments at basically the same time, so I got to see everyone. I scored 10/10 vision and got sent back to the waiting room. Then I put on my jacket and walked around the corner to the hospital for a chest x-ray. Apparently, x-ray machines in France have not reached the technological level of those in the rest of the world, and I was required to do this bit sans clothes. I was less than thrilled. The results came back about 2 minutes after I had gotten dressed again. I took my x-ray back around the corner to the doctor's office and waited again.
Someone escorted me to one of a series of phonebooth size rooms where I was to again undress. The doctor would come and get me when he was ready. Because I am sick, there was no way I was going to sit in there and be cold, so I wore my sweater and socks too; I think I can handle the extra pound it might add to my weight. The little rooms all open into the doctor's office. (Who's behind door number 3??) The doctor was really nice, and he didn't make me take it off until he wanted to listen to my breathing and undergarments are permissible with the doctor (thank goodness). So then he sent me back to the phonebooth to get changed. When I stepped back into the office, he asked me a few more questions and then filled out the paperwork, gave me a medical note saying I was fit to play volleyball, and in 2 1/4 hours it was all over.
If they ever did this to you in the US, dressing and undressing you, I think someone would beat them. But, this is all part of the service at government medical offices in France. It is like they couldn't learn how to slide the stethoscope under my shirt to listen. At USC, they sued to bring a nurse in just to be in the room while the doctor was listening OVER your clothes. Oh well. I lived. One more adventure under my belt. Gotta run. Love always, ~Heather
P.S. In case you have read this whole thing and didn't know I have a horrifying fear of being naked or about being in various stages of undress, I hope this clarifies my considering this an adventure. ~HB
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