Fall is my favorite time of year in Kentucky. The weather cools down and the trees begin to change color, changing boring drives into spectacular view after spectacular view. I never thought anything could compare to a Kentucky fall. I was wrong.
Marburg is a city of tree covered hills. The hills are extremely steep so when you look from the city center, you see nothing but a rainbow of trees around you. In addition, many city paths lead you on golden trails, covered with freshly fallen leaves. The effect can literally force your mouth from a smile to a frown. I posted some of these pictures on facebook. You can see the photos from the public link below.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2477929&l=f5b2e&id=1920556
As I told one friend earlier this week. "Don't hate me because Marburg is beautiful!" ;-)
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
First doctor's visit
I had my first experience at a German doctor this week. For the last few weeks I've felt a bit (or more) out of sorts. I've had nausea, but I never threw up. I've had stomachaches, but nothing that kept me awake at night. But after changing my diet, sleeping more, and avoiding spicy foods, the symptoms continued. So I said to myself, "if the symptoms persist for one more week, I will go to the doctor".
I said that 4 weeks ago.
After one week, I still didn't feel better, so I said, I'll go to the doctor tomorrow, after I look up the German word for nausea (der Brechreiz). The next day, I woke up and felt bad, but I said, I don't know remember the word for stomach (der Magen) so I can't go yet. The next day I woke up and said, I have an essay due next week, so I don't have time to go to the doctor. On the fourth day, I realized that I forgot the word for nausea (hasn't changed, still der Brechreiz), so I didn't go. You get the idea. I kept finding reasons that I couldn't go to the doctor.
Now in the US, everyone gives reasons on why they should not to go to the doctor, but trying to go to the doctor in a foreign country is a completely different issue. For one, you have no idea where to find a doctor, and if you do find a doctor, how do you know that the doctor is good? Does your host country have high standards for doctors? Second, you find a doctor, but you end up misdiagnosed because either you don't explain your symptoms well enough in the local language or your doctor doesn't understand English as well as he/she thinks. Third, and probably the most intimidating is, how am I supposed to pay?
For me, the answer to the doctor and language questions were easily answered, I just contacted another Fulbright fellow who had already visited an English speaking doctor in town. The third question was also easy, the German Fulbright Kommission bought private health insurance for all Fulbright fellows. Since private insurance covers all none pre-existing conditions all I had to do was show my letter of insurance.
But the process was intimidating. It was hard enough for me to find the courage to visit the doctor, even though most of my questions were answered. I can not imagine the fear in a new immigrant when faced with illness. How do they know who to trust? How will they pay? How will they explain their symptoms when they can barely order bread at the supermarket without making grammatical mistakes? What if they say the pain is in their toe when they meant to say their hip hurts? At the very least, the Fulbright experience thus far has given me the opportunity to understand some of the struggles facing people new to a country, which I know will affect my decisions in the future.
As for the doctor's appointment. I finally visited the doctor this past Monday. After some tests, the doctor (fluent in English), gave me some medicine and scheduled another appointment for the following Monday. The medicines have not helped yet but I'm holding out hope that they will. I will update with more information as I have it.
I said that 4 weeks ago.
After one week, I still didn't feel better, so I said, I'll go to the doctor tomorrow, after I look up the German word for nausea (der Brechreiz). The next day, I woke up and felt bad, but I said, I don't know remember the word for stomach (der Magen) so I can't go yet. The next day I woke up and said, I have an essay due next week, so I don't have time to go to the doctor. On the fourth day, I realized that I forgot the word for nausea (hasn't changed, still der Brechreiz), so I didn't go. You get the idea. I kept finding reasons that I couldn't go to the doctor.
Now in the US, everyone gives reasons on why they should not to go to the doctor, but trying to go to the doctor in a foreign country is a completely different issue. For one, you have no idea where to find a doctor, and if you do find a doctor, how do you know that the doctor is good? Does your host country have high standards for doctors? Second, you find a doctor, but you end up misdiagnosed because either you don't explain your symptoms well enough in the local language or your doctor doesn't understand English as well as he/she thinks. Third, and probably the most intimidating is, how am I supposed to pay?
For me, the answer to the doctor and language questions were easily answered, I just contacted another Fulbright fellow who had already visited an English speaking doctor in town. The third question was also easy, the German Fulbright Kommission bought private health insurance for all Fulbright fellows. Since private insurance covers all none pre-existing conditions all I had to do was show my letter of insurance.
But the process was intimidating. It was hard enough for me to find the courage to visit the doctor, even though most of my questions were answered. I can not imagine the fear in a new immigrant when faced with illness. How do they know who to trust? How will they pay? How will they explain their symptoms when they can barely order bread at the supermarket without making grammatical mistakes? What if they say the pain is in their toe when they meant to say their hip hurts? At the very least, the Fulbright experience thus far has given me the opportunity to understand some of the struggles facing people new to a country, which I know will affect my decisions in the future.
As for the doctor's appointment. I finally visited the doctor this past Monday. After some tests, the doctor (fluent in English), gave me some medicine and scheduled another appointment for the following Monday. The medicines have not helped yet but I'm holding out hope that they will. I will update with more information as I have it.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
paperwork and blah
I feel like I've been in a fog ever since I returned from Austria. For one, I was completely exhausted after the trip so it took a few days to recover. Second, all the Fulbrights left last week so I've been at a loss as to what I should do for fun. Third, Marburg has been under fog or rain for most of the last week. Because of the fog, I have a very very very difficult time waking up in the morning, which means when I do wake up (typically 2-3 hours later than I intended), I ended running around like crazy to get to place I wanted to be at 2 hours earlier. It stinks. (and my room stank for a little while after I spilled some machiato flavored soy milk on a pair of slippers, it took me 3 days to figure out the cause of the smell, phletcht)
In addition, my days have been rather boring. The highlight of the last 4 days was going to the registration office in the middle of town (20 min bus ride each way) to try to find Frau H., the Foreign student person (secretary, adminstrator, your guess is as good as mine). The first two times I visited the office with Frau H's name on the door, I was told (in german of course) that Frau H. was in orientation. When Frau H. returned, she would be in the office next door, the office with someone else's name on it. I tried to ask what day Frau H would return only to receive no response. The third time, I visited the office that did not have Frau H's name on the door. I start shoving paperwork in her hands and she looks at me like...what are you doing here? I show her my acceptance letter and said, I am new. She looks at me and says (in german of course), you need to visit Frau H, who is in the office with her name on it. My german skills were not too the point that I could explain that I went to her office because the person in Frau H's office told me that Frau H would be in the office without Frau H's name on it. Thus, she looked at me like I couldn't read (I can read a little German) or I was a rude American (I try hard not to live up to the stereotype).
So, I left the 'wrong' office to stand outside the office for Frau H. The door opens and out walks the lady who told me that I needed to go to the office next door. Guess who this lady is, its none other than Frau H! Frau H was in her office the whole time! The lady should be glad that my German was not good enough to start explaining my grieviences. Plus, I'd spent over 2 hours in the last week trying to finish this paperwork, so at this point I just wanted to finish the paperwork and get back to my room to shower (I woke up late, again, so I had to rush out of my room before showering) and then return to lab. After 10 minutes, my accounts were arranged and I finally received my semester ticket, which enables me to travel all over Hesse (including Kassel and Frankfurt) for free. :-)
So, that's how boring my life is right now. The highlight is succesfully filing my German university paperwork. Now that I have my semester ticket (and money in my German bank account), I can travel. Anyone want me to come visit? (preferably on the European continent)
In addition, my days have been rather boring. The highlight of the last 4 days was going to the registration office in the middle of town (20 min bus ride each way) to try to find Frau H., the Foreign student person (secretary, adminstrator, your guess is as good as mine). The first two times I visited the office with Frau H's name on the door, I was told (in german of course) that Frau H. was in orientation. When Frau H. returned, she would be in the office next door, the office with someone else's name on it. I tried to ask what day Frau H would return only to receive no response. The third time, I visited the office that did not have Frau H's name on the door. I start shoving paperwork in her hands and she looks at me like...what are you doing here? I show her my acceptance letter and said, I am new. She looks at me and says (in german of course), you need to visit Frau H, who is in the office with her name on it. My german skills were not too the point that I could explain that I went to her office because the person in Frau H's office told me that Frau H would be in the office without Frau H's name on it. Thus, she looked at me like I couldn't read (I can read a little German) or I was a rude American (I try hard not to live up to the stereotype).
So, I left the 'wrong' office to stand outside the office for Frau H. The door opens and out walks the lady who told me that I needed to go to the office next door. Guess who this lady is, its none other than Frau H! Frau H was in her office the whole time! The lady should be glad that my German was not good enough to start explaining my grieviences. Plus, I'd spent over 2 hours in the last week trying to finish this paperwork, so at this point I just wanted to finish the paperwork and get back to my room to shower (I woke up late, again, so I had to rush out of my room before showering) and then return to lab. After 10 minutes, my accounts were arranged and I finally received my semester ticket, which enables me to travel all over Hesse (including Kassel and Frankfurt) for free. :-)
So, that's how boring my life is right now. The highlight is succesfully filing my German university paperwork. Now that I have my semester ticket (and money in my German bank account), I can travel. Anyone want me to come visit? (preferably on the European continent)
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