Expat problem no. 1: doctors
A lot of people in the studyblr community do the one year abroad experience, and I'm doing something similar this year, just not related to the academic world.
So, I'm part of the expat community since March. Which means that I'm now living in another country (in my case, I moved for one year from Italy to Paland due to my partecipation in the EVS project, which is part of ERASMUS +).
Now, I hate doctors. Like, really loathe them. Not them as people but as group. Nothing fills me with dread as much as the thought to go and see my doctor when feeling ill. This is due to my not so good experience with my family doctors through time, they tended to ignore me and my claims of illness 'till exams went out exactly as I said they would (the passage from "I think your daughter is exaggerating" to "I'm prescribing x, y & z and i recommend x specialist" was always brief. And I was always right, BTW, thank you for very much).
So I go to the doctor only in dire need. I passed 5 days in April crying my eyes out from pain when my chronically otitis came to greet me again and I refused outright to go to the doctor. I had my boss took those days from my vacations days instead of illness ones because to have an illness permit I needed the doctor's certificate. Yes, I hate doctors that much.
[dowm: me, refusing to see a doctor while dying. Yes, I need help. ]
Now, I'm not the only crazy person in this world hating medical staff, I'm sure fo it, but.... When you live abroad all of this gets worse. Exponentially so.
Because apart form the headache of dealing with another sanitary system (expacially if you, like me, came from a country with a good pubblic health system when private insurances are basically unheard of), the next problem is trying to comunicate with a doctor that does not speak your own language. I mean that my mothertongue is Italian, the doctor's in this case is Polish, and we both have to deal with each other in English which, yes, I know, but still.
To get to the whole point of this post, tomorrow I'll go to see a doctor for the first time since I'm in Poland, I'm scared shitless and please pray for me.
Also, have some pity for your friend who may be in the same situations as I. If some of your friends came from another country and have some problem with the local language (or even are completely fluid in it) the best thing you'll ever do in your life will be to accompanying them while they go to the doctor. Like, this will grant you a place in paradise, I'm quite sure.
