i should probably eat more apples

I hate going to the doctor more than almost anything else. I put it off and put it off in hopes that whatever's wrong will fix itself.

And I don't have a lot of faith in the medical system here. Exhibit A: Jordan. He was having serious health problems after arriving, feeling weak and fainting a few times. He spends the night in the hospital and they send him home with Valium and muscle relaxers - when he was fainting (Eventually they determined that it was a potassium deficiency.)

Exhibit B: Ryan. Ryan had an ear infection. For the pain, the doctor gave him a prescription for arthritis meds.

Exhibit C: Little Girl at the school nurse's office. Little Girl cuts her finger in class. Kristy walks her down to the school nurse. When she sits down, Little Girl notices the blood on her hand and faints. The nurse starts doing CPR. Has she never seen a child faint before? We're not sure what to make of this incident.

Yesterday, my throat started feeling sore. I didn't want to deal with a week or more of discomfort - especially since my job involves shouting at a room full of children - so I decided to brave the palace grounds' clinic when it opened at 8:30 this morning. It's all free for us teachers - no copayment, and prescriptions are included and filled while you wait.

I walk in at three minutes after and the waiting room is already full. Full of sick people. Sick old people, sick young people, sick babies. They're all coughing and sneezing sickness into the air. As soon as I walk in, I feel worse than I did before.

I walk to the window, fill out a form, and sit down, looking at the clock. My first class starts at 9:20, so I have about 45 minutes. I'd left a note for Nummon telling her I might be late, so all my bases were covered.

I wait, and wait, feeling hot, irritated, bored, impatient, and occasionally flooded with self-pity. The man sitting to my left keeps shifting around in his seat and changing positions.

What is his deal? Does he have hemorrhoids??

My throat hurts. My stomach hurts. Do I have a fever? Is it strep?

I put my head in my hands. I stare at my shoes for awhile. They have blue chalk on them. It won't come off.

At 8:55 they call my name. I walk to the desk. They weigh me and take my blood pressure, pulse, and temperature. No fever. They tell me to sit back down.

At 9:22 I see the doctor. I tell him what's wrong, he looks at my throat, and says I have a couple of lacerations or ulcers at the back of my mouth that are making it hurt to swallow. No strep, no virus, no nothing. Just ulcers! He prescribed a foul-tasting spray to numb the pain.

I had to wait 10 minutes more to get my prescription.

The whole visit took about an hour, which, I guess, isn't too bad for walking in with no appointment. One point for Thailand's medical care.

Lunch is over and now it's time for my favorite thing - grading!