Le plus facile, EVER

I had to go to the doctor this week.  I'm running out of medication which is necessary to facilitate my breathing, so I couldn't put it off any longer. And I found out that visiting the doctor in France is like the easiest thing ever. 

I walked to the doctor's office (which is one block from my apartment, by the way) on Wednesday afternoon. I said to the receptionist, "Hello. I am the American assistant at the high school. Can I make a rendez-vous please with the doctor?" She replied, "Yes. Come back tomorrow at 11am." She gave me a slip of paper with the details and I left. No  "Do you have insurance?" or "Can I see your passport?" That part was bafflingly easy so I was afraid that the appointment itself would be complicated in some way. In fact, no. I went in the next morning, said my hello, and announced that I had an 11am rendez-vous. I sat in the waiting room for 10 minutes. A nice older man called my name (Madame Christian, pronounced the French way. Try it!) He shook my hand while guiding me into his office with the same hand.  It was weird and gentlemanly. I mentally photographed the room because it was the extreme opposite of an American doctor's office. Wood-paneled walls, plush leather exam bed, old-fashioned metal rotating fan, modern paintings hanging above the sink, and little silver dishes holding the cotton swabs. It was technically a really nice living room with a few pieces of medical equipment here and there.

We chatted, I told him what I needed, he looked up the medications in a big fancy book and typed some things into his computer.  He only spoke English once when I momentarily forgot what "toussez" meant. ("Could you cough please?") After a pleasant and cordial 15 minutes, I had my prescriptions (3 months worth!) and my papers to get reimbursed later on (technically I have insurance but no card yet).  Now this was the freakiest part: you pay the doctor. In cash, if you feel like it. I gave him a 50 and he dug around in his pockets and then a little white box of coins to find my change. I paid 23 euros. Most of which will be given right back to me later. He gave me change FROM HIS POCKET! 

I went to the pharmacie, got my stuff (you don't have to wait around for it; they just have everything in the back), and paid (a little more this time, but I'll be reimbursed for that, too).

And then I went home and treated myself to some brown food:

MMmmmMMMmm

Some salad dressing stuff waiting to be mixed

On Tuesday, the forecast was "fog". ALL DAY!

This weekend I am off to Paris for some Xmas shopping, meeting with a few nice people, and hopefully finding a few old-fashioned photobooths (right, sis?)

Goodnight goodnight!