I’m A Grown Up Now

So this morning I was helping at the local doctors surgery which was founded about 20/25 years ago by an American doctor. It is a completely free clinic which also provides medication free of charge.
What was the biggest difference from the UK for me is that everyone was in one big room – there were three doctors all at one table and the patients were talking freely. Privacy is such a massive part of a doctor’s surgery in England and yet here patients were talking to each other and doctors were talking to each other and it was a very calm and relaxed clinic.
I was shadowing the paediatrician who (thankfully) is still working on her Tagalog so we had one of the Filipino nurses translating for us so I understood what was happening. What was surprising was the number of tuberculosis patients – practically every other patient was being treated for TB and yet it’s such a rarity in the UK. In fact, the doctor pointed out a woman to me who looked perfectly healthy and said that a a few weeks ago she came in with TB and diabetes and he honestly thought she was going to die and that she looks like a completely different woman now.
I saw a variety of children, aged 6 months to 6 years, with a variety of illnesses, from dengue fever to pneumonia and they were all so well behaved! I don’t know if all Filipino children are like that but only one little boy made a fuss and that was because he was having a needle stuck into his arm!
I then went and saw an ultrasound – not of a baby but of kidneys…I feel like understanding what’s on an ultrasound is an underrated skill because it’s so difficult to make things out! Making out a baby is much easier than making out a kidney.

Unfortunately, due to the combination of jet lag, not drinking or eating enough and being so overheated, I almost fainted again – thankfully when the clinic was over and thankfully surrounded by lots of doctors and nurses who knew exactly what was wrong with me! Also, everyone here knows exactly what it’s like having jet lag so they’re so helpful and understanding, giving me lots of tips on what to eat and what to do that hopefully by this time next week I’ll be ok…

This evening I went out with friends for some Korean food and it was sooo delicious and sooo cheap – literally £2 for a meal and then went for my first food shop!! Felt like an actual grown up buying my own stuff – although I had help and I often buy food at home, it’s a little different when it’s for your own kitchen!

(Edit: I’ve been told I should mention that I got chicken nuggets at the supermarket. Yay!)