French doctors. Bof!

I gave in and went to the doctor yesterday. My host mom, Veronique, is quite a stern woman. I could see her being scary when angry, but I guess being tough is a requirement for a nurse. She asked me yesterday when I got home from class if I'd gone to the doctor, which I hadn't, and she responded with something to the effect of "go upstairs, call and make an appoint right now. Or you'll be sick in Italy this weekend." Such a mom.

Even though Veronique knew how sick I was, she didn't offer to give me a ride. I was too exhausted to walk, so I had to call a cab. 12 Euros later, I was still a ways from my destination. Did I mention my cab driver had a super funny accent? He looked italian, and I couldn't understand any of his french. I pretended to follow and wished him a "bonne journee." Taking a taxi in Pau, and maybe all of Europe, sucks. Drivers start charging you as soon as they get the call, and they take the most roundabout way to where you are. Kinda makes me want to punch them in the face.

Found the doctor's office, and the receptionist lady spoke super FAST french. She slowed down a bit and threw in some english here and there, got all the paper work done. My doctor appears in a shirt with "Faith," in english, printed on the front. Hilarious because this woman knew even less english than Veronique, my host mom. Language barriers were abundant. My meds for asthma and allergies don't exist here. I said advair, and she looked at me like I was nuts. "Advil, advil?" she repeatedly responded. "No adVAIR." Mon dieu! After awhile, she gave up.

Then she told me to take my shirt off. Everything, the whole? Both layers? Is that really necessary? She looked at me like I was the crazy one and nodded her head each time. So, I had to take my shirt off. Apparently in France, one must take off their whole shirt, not just roll up their sleeves, even in a T SHIRT, in order to get their blood pressure checked. Unnecessary. She did some other normal doctor-y stuff, and told me what I already knew: I have an ear infection in both ears. I blame rafting last week and swimming in the Atlantic.

The doctor's room was completely different than in the states. Where I laid was just a normal looking elongated chair thing. Nothing fancy and bulky. She had a legit desk, which made the room feel like an office. There was nothing on the white walls. No decorations, or fancy instruments. Nothing.

When she wanted to take my blood pressure the squeezy-thing wasn't working. She opened the door to get a new one and left the door open. OPEN. While I was just chillaxing there, topless. No big deal. C'est normal?!?

After this mildly traumatic experience, I called my mom in the parking lot and started bawling. I felt sickly, had a fever, two ear infections, and a half an hour walk ahead of me. Did I mention while I was in the office, it had started to rain? Equipped with no umbrella (which I normally keep on me) or jacket, I walked home. On the way I stopped at my favorite bakery and bought a baguette. Cuz, ya know, I deserved it. Earlier that day I'd bought white chocolate with hazelnuts in it. I think I knew it was gonna be a rough day.