Going to the doctor in the UK, and a few other things...

So at this point we feel like we are getting situated. We are getting into a routine, and there are less surprises every day. That is until Sophie got sick....


I'll back up a bit first though. There was a couple unusual events before that. The first and more unlikely of the two events was making an acquaintance with a mormon. It gets stranger than that, mormons are from America, and it is a new religion(in the time scales of religions). I was stopped by two of them on the way to the castle, where I was taking Sophie to play on the playground. And they wanted to discuss religion with me, but I went easy on them since Sophie was anxious to get to the park. But I was curious, mormons in the UK?! In Colchester? And one of them did not have a British accent. So I asked him where he was from. He said he was from Texas. So I asked him where in Texas he was from, and he is from El Paso!!! And went to Franklin High school...what an unlikely event! So we started talking, not about religion, but about El Paso and how he was in the swim team and what not. He ended up giving me his number, in what seemed more like a friendly gesture, since we had both lived in El Paso and were now in Colchester than as something they do as part of their preaching routine. I haven't called him yet, but I've been tempted. Partly because I enjoy discussing religious matters, which I am sure would come up if we were to meet and talk. But also because it would be interesting to have a friend in England that was from El Paso!


The other interesting meeting was with a homeless man. The first time we went to the university with Geli, we were not even sure what bus to take out there, or what bust stop to go to. When we had made it to the bus station, there was like a dozen different buses we could take, and we weren't sure which. We must have looked really lost, because this homeless man asked me where I was trying to go. I told him we were headed to the University, and he pointed us to the right bus. I thanked him and we went to the right stop. Then, a couple of days later, I was heading to Castle Park again to take Sophie to the playground. And when we were entering Caste Park, he was sitting on a bench we were passing by, and he asked:


"Did I put you on the right bus?"
I was puzzled, I didn't recognize him, and I hadn't been "put" on the bus that I could remember...
I must have looked confused.
He then said "The other day, did I put you on the right bus?"
I know it sounds mean, but it wasn't on purpose. I didn't recognize him, so I was confused that this person I did not think I knew was asking me about a bus that they "put" me on.
He then elaborated "The other day at the bus station, I told you what bus to take to get to the university"
Then it dawned on me!
He was the same guy that told us what bus to take! I just didn't recognize him.
So I told him he did, and said thanks.
He then asked me if I was a student, and I told him that Geli was.
And we talked a little but more. 
And then on the way out, Sophie dropped a little toy she had with her and he called us to tell us, because I didn't notice.
He is there rather often. I see him there every now and then and say hi to him.


The sad part is that these are the closest encounters I have had to making friends here. Working at home hasn't helped me to meet any people here. We said hi to one of our neighbors once(that's the only time we have seen them). We just haven't really been in any social situations yet. Interesting turn of events that leads me to meet a homeless person and a mormon from El Paso when we move to England.


And now to the doctor situation. Sophie got sick...she started by throwing up right after we laid her down to bed one night. Nothing like one of us cleaning vomit off of blankets while the other one of us showers her to clean the vomit off of her. But then, the next morning, she acts fine, has no fever, she isn't acting sick or anything. So we didn't take her to the doctor, but that night she did the same thing! Not on purpose, we know, but how are we supposed to know that she is sick when she doesn't show it? So after another round of vomiting in bed and washing blankets and sheets, she is okay for the next couple of days. So we figured something had just upset her stomach. Then she threw up again at night and had a bit of a fever...this time it was time to take her to the doctor. So we did. We took her to a doctor close by, but we are terrible at getting out of the house early. By the time we got ready and ate breakfast, it was around noon. The nearby doctor closed at 1pm. When we got there they told us they were booked for the day, and suggested we take her to the walk-in clinic that was by the general hospital. Geli had to go to school, so I took her. We took the bus, which she enjoyed. Sophie really likes riding on the bus.

I'm still not used to the shift I work, and Sophie wasn't feeling very well.

We had not registered for the NHS(National Heath Service) so I expected to have to do some paperwork, answer a lot of questions, and show plenty of documents. I went prepared with a utility bill, lease agreement(proof of address), passports, school offer letter, shot records, you name it. When we arrived, they just asked for her name and mine, our address, and how long we were in the country for. That is it!!! I was so surprised at the ease of the transaction that I felt like something was wrong. So they said to wait for them to call her. And like 10 minutes later, they did. The doctor checker her, took her temperature, and said she had an infection. Gave her a prescription, and we were off. No bill, no co-pay, no endless forms, no insurance questions. Then we took the bus back to the town center, and after getting lost for like half an hour(I still get lost sometimes!), I found the pharmacy and got her prescription filled. And since she is under 16, it was free. No questions asked. It really felt strange, but in a great way. I was not used to this, but I really like it. I hope not too need it again, but it is great to know that if we get sick, medical bills and insurance is not something we need to worry about while we are here. Peace of mind...knowing that you will be taken care of when you need it most.