Wildlife in the aretz – and some advice – do NOT walk barefoot after dark.
This would probably go under the heading of “things nobody has ever told you about Israel” but let me please be the first. I opened my door to shake out a tablecloth in front of my house and saw no less than 6 gigantic slugs on my front porch. By gigantic I mean absolutely huge. Each one was almost the size of a cigar. I photographed each one, partly for posterity and partly because I knew Bob would think I was exaggerating when I said six. Now he can examine the distinct (and huge) features of each one via my photography.
Why doesn’t Obama just ask me?
I can tell you all about socialized medicine. It’s bottom line care with no service whatsoever. Lots of sign this and go here and wait for this and then go there. Need bloodwork? Take this scrip, have it re-written on your insurance paper by a doctor that you may have to officially switch to for the next three months, then take the paper to the nurse in the clinic. Let her draw blood and come back to the clinic for the results. Or you can call the lab. We did this tonight – the calling. Not for bloodwork but for my strep culture. I had my husband’s cousin call. She’s lived here since childhood. She’s raised four kids here and made plenty of calls here. Her Hebrew is immaculate. I gave her the required paperwork and documentation in preparation for “the call”. My strep culture’s bar code. My teudat zechut (Israeli ID number). And the phone number for the automated lab results. It took her four calls to get through the menu, the data entry and finally to the results (normali, Baruch Hashem). On with my life. My next medical adventure will be after the holiday when I register at the hospital (I’ve heard a range of views on this practice – ranging from ‘you must’ to ‘you don’t have to but they’ll yell at you in Hebrew when you show up in labor unregistered’ to ‘I’ve never registered ever and it totally doesn’t matter’) and go for my next sonogram/doctor’s visit (at which she will prescribe bloodwork for which I will have to go to the clinic, have the scrip re-written….). I’m seeing this very nice private doctor at my own expense and will be paying her to deliver me, Be’H, when the time comes. As Israeli as I am trying to be, I couldn’t wrap my brain around a delivery sans doctor (yes, midwives deliver you here) although if my private doctor can’t make it to the hospital when I am actually delivering I may get a chance to be so Israeli after all. Stay tuned…
This would probably go under the heading of “things nobody has ever told you about Israel” but let me please be the first. I opened my door to shake out a tablecloth in front of my house and saw no less than 6 gigantic slugs on my front porch. By gigantic I mean absolutely huge. Each one was almost the size of a cigar. I photographed each one, partly for posterity and partly because I knew Bob would think I was exaggerating when I said six. Now he can examine the distinct (and huge) features of each one via my photography.
Why doesn’t Obama just ask me?
I can tell you all about socialized medicine. It’s bottom line care with no service whatsoever. Lots of sign this and go here and wait for this and then go there. Need bloodwork? Take this scrip, have it re-written on your insurance paper by a doctor that you may have to officially switch to for the next three months, then take the paper to the nurse in the clinic. Let her draw blood and come back to the clinic for the results. Or you can call the lab. We did this tonight – the calling. Not for bloodwork but for my strep culture. I had my husband’s cousin call. She’s lived here since childhood. She’s raised four kids here and made plenty of calls here. Her Hebrew is immaculate. I gave her the required paperwork and documentation in preparation for “the call”. My strep culture’s bar code. My teudat zechut (Israeli ID number). And the phone number for the automated lab results. It took her four calls to get through the menu, the data entry and finally to the results (normali, Baruch Hashem). On with my life. My next medical adventure will be after the holiday when I register at the hospital (I’ve heard a range of views on this practice – ranging from ‘you must’ to ‘you don’t have to but they’ll yell at you in Hebrew when you show up in labor unregistered’ to ‘I’ve never registered ever and it totally doesn’t matter’) and go for my next sonogram/doctor’s visit (at which she will prescribe bloodwork for which I will have to go to the clinic, have the scrip re-written….). I’m seeing this very nice private doctor at my own expense and will be paying her to deliver me, Be’H, when the time comes. As Israeli as I am trying to be, I couldn’t wrap my brain around a delivery sans doctor (yes, midwives deliver you here) although if my private doctor can’t make it to the hospital when I am actually delivering I may get a chance to be so Israeli after all. Stay tuned…
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