Story Time

Ok so here's a pretty funny story from last week and about how culture can make some things pretty difficult and aggravating. One of the first things that is good to learn when you go overseas or atleast here is that things take longer than you think they will. Anyways so here's the story:


Day one (wednesday):
Ok so a little background information if you dont know. I am on two different medicines which one is for Cholesterol and the other is for acid reflex. Ok so anyways I wake up on wednesday morning and get a call from my SC saying that they had made a doctors appointment for me that morning and that he would be here to pick me up in about an hour. So I go to the doctor and end up getting a prescription for both of the medicines that I take so that I can get them here.

So then we leave the doctors office and head to the Apteka (means pharmacy in Polish). So we get there and we are waiting in line. And then its my turn and I hand the lady my prescription and to shorten it up a little bit she says that one of them is not manufactured in Poland anymore and that she would have to order the other one. So we dont get either one of them now. So I go and call the doctors office then I speak with the doctor and tell him that the one for Acid Reflex needs to be changed because they cant get it here.

So we head back to the doctor's office...which by the way takes about 20 minutes to get to one way. So I pick up another prescription from the front desk because he wrote me another one and start heading back towards the Apteka. We decide to go to a different Apteka to see if they have what I needed since the other one was going to have to order it. So we go in and give my prescription to the man and he gets this strange look on his face. Come to find out...I got the two medicine names mixed up. I told the doctor that the Acid Reflex one was bad which really the Cholesterol one was bad. So now I have two prescriptions for the same thing (Acid Reflex) and a Cholesterol one that isnt manufactured in Poland anymore. So I end up going ahead and getting one the medicines I need which was the Acid Reflex one.

So I have to call the doctors office AGAIN! By now they are probably thinking "whats with this stupid American"...but I dont know. Anyways so I call the doctors office again only to find out that he is done working for the day and is gone. I think to myself ITS ONLY 1:30pm...what docter gets off at 1:30...so anyways I have to now wait and do this tomorrow.

Day two (thursday)
So after my polish language lesson, We drive back over to the doctor's office and pick up another prescription. And then we head back to the Apteka to hopefully get the Cholesterol medicine that I need. So once we get to the Apteka, we have to wait in line again and then we get to the counter and I hand my RIGHT prescription this time and come to find out they have to order that one...So again I will have to do this again tomorrow!

Day three (friday)
So i cant do it today because my polish is in the afternoon and I have to work on the website stuff in the morning

Day four (saturday)
So I travel to the Apteka with my little ticket that they gave me and FINALLY pick up my medicine. YAY! Hopefully next time it wont take so long!


Anyways hope my story gives you a little laugh and insight as to how things work here. I hope that everyone is doing good. And remember things are always slower in another cultural and there are always unexpected bumps in the road...the only thing you can do is to not let me get to you and take it in stride.