The French Doctor
This was an experience that I was dreading, but, seeing as how a piece of a coffee cup had been embedded in my heel for a full four weeks, it was time. Not to mention the fact that I couldn't walk yesterday. So today I called a number that one of my fellow teachers had found in les pages jaunes and he told me I could come in at 11. What I didn't realize was that he has no appointment times, and tons of people just show up at 11. It was ok, because I was only 5th in line, and despite the fact that he was 20 minutes late, I still made it home by 12:30.
The place was bizarre. Maybe not quite as clean as the US doctor, and there were no nurses. So it was just me and him in this room that was half fancy business office, half doctor room. I showed him my foot and he went to town carving it up with no numbing or anything. I ended up laying on my stomach crying and trying not to scream the F-word because there were children in the lobby. And I don't want the French to think Americans are vulgar. I'm always thinking. Finally he gets the piece out and it was so big. I don't know how I walked on it for 4 weeks. He was a really nice guy though. He apologized for making me cry and gave me some good advice about moving to San Diego so I could find a nice military man. I don't think I will be taking that advice.
While he was writing out my prescriptions, he asked for my name--oh, which is the other thing. I filled out no paperwork. I just walked in there, he carved the thing out of my foot, and if it hadn't been for my prescriptions, he never would have even known my name! So weird. It's different if you are French because you have little debit card to pay with, but that is another story. So he asks me my name. 95% of the time when I tell a French person "Armstrong" they immediately reply, "Ah! Armstrong comme Armstrong!" (comme meaning like) which, while I know it refers to Lance, just sounds really silly. This guy said "Ah! Armstrong comme Neal!" so that was different. He then made the classicly French error of spelling it Amstrong. I didn't correct him. He then spelled my first name Kin. I didn't correct him. So now I will have medical records and DMV records with misspelled names in them. Awesome.
Overall, I give French doctor an A+, or a 20/20, to be more French about it. I should mention that it cost me 21 E. With no insurance and that's all! And I can get 70% of that reimbursed once I get my medical card. I think I will be going back to the French doctor.
Oh man, I can't believe my favorite part, when he told me to go look out at the others in the waiting room. He made this amazing disgust face. The French make fantastic faces. They were not the most attractive people in the world, but I hardly think it was fair for him to make a claim that all Americans are prettier than all French based on the specimens in his office, but that is exactly what he did. He was an interesting guy.
The place was bizarre. Maybe not quite as clean as the US doctor, and there were no nurses. So it was just me and him in this room that was half fancy business office, half doctor room. I showed him my foot and he went to town carving it up with no numbing or anything. I ended up laying on my stomach crying and trying not to scream the F-word because there were children in the lobby. And I don't want the French to think Americans are vulgar. I'm always thinking. Finally he gets the piece out and it was so big. I don't know how I walked on it for 4 weeks. He was a really nice guy though. He apologized for making me cry and gave me some good advice about moving to San Diego so I could find a nice military man. I don't think I will be taking that advice.
While he was writing out my prescriptions, he asked for my name--oh, which is the other thing. I filled out no paperwork. I just walked in there, he carved the thing out of my foot, and if it hadn't been for my prescriptions, he never would have even known my name! So weird. It's different if you are French because you have little debit card to pay with, but that is another story. So he asks me my name. 95% of the time when I tell a French person "Armstrong" they immediately reply, "Ah! Armstrong comme Armstrong!" (comme meaning like) which, while I know it refers to Lance, just sounds really silly. This guy said "Ah! Armstrong comme Neal!" so that was different. He then made the classicly French error of spelling it Amstrong. I didn't correct him. He then spelled my first name Kin. I didn't correct him. So now I will have medical records and DMV records with misspelled names in them. Awesome.
Overall, I give French doctor an A+, or a 20/20, to be more French about it. I should mention that it cost me 21 E. With no insurance and that's all! And I can get 70% of that reimbursed once I get my medical card. I think I will be going back to the French doctor.
Oh man, I can't believe my favorite part, when he told me to go look out at the others in the waiting room. He made this amazing disgust face. The French make fantastic faces. They were not the most attractive people in the world, but I hardly think it was fair for him to make a claim that all Americans are prettier than all French based on the specimens in his office, but that is exactly what he did. He was an interesting guy.