We went to a mongolian place for lunch last week and I got a fortune cookie. It said listen to your friends. Today I did just that.. it's been two weeks since I first got this flu thingy when I come to Toronto. I'm still blowing my nose, coughing etc.. so on Sherry's advice and with Travis's help I went to the doctor.
Naturally, I have travel insurance - though that didn't stop the poor girl behind the counter getting thoroughly confused. What's my social security number? - I don't live in the USA sorry. Oh, what's your insurance ID? .. well, is there one written on this bit of paper? .. no.. uh.. can we call the magic phone number on the bit of paper? Yes.. insurance company says "Pay in cash and claim it back".
Fair enough. So I got to see the nurse, then the doctor. We had a good chat. She did the consultation for free and gave me the anti bacterial drugs for free too.. she explained that her kids travel often to foreign countries and she feels that by helping in kind, her children too will hopefully be gifted by strangers. Since I'm no doctor, the best I can do is to honor this system myself (though it is certainly something I try to do anyway, so I really liked her philosophy) and the other thing I can do is write about it and hopefully inspire someone else in a position to do something more to do.. something kind.
I feel there is nothing more rewarding than coming across a fellow kind soul. One child of Dr. Sofia's is current in France and is an artist. The other is in New York and has a doctorate in Art as well. Good luck to them both - I'm sure they're doing quite well with such a morally grounded mother.
Like my mum - who finally has internet access setup in Fiji. My parents have moved to Fiji for two years. That's pretty exciting!