Medical adventures in a foreign land. As I wait out her long MRI, my restlessness brings me to wander the empty basement hallway.<\/p>\n
This is probably not a good habit. We’re getting more skilled and fearless at being at the outpatient side of a hospital later into the night. And now, past midnight. As foreigners. With signage in a foreign language. The international department closed. Hallways that are always intensely bustling, reflecting the pace of a metropolitan city, now dark and empty. Queue ticket number machines and screens powered off. Registration desks empty.<\/p>\n
This was the scene two weeks ago. It is past our normal bedtime, so I feel hazy, yet alert. It feels like a movie scene comprised of stumbling into a deserted hospital in a post apocalyptic city. We wander towards the outpatient blood draw department. The whirring sounds of machines absent. We were told there would be a bell to ring at the blood draw check-in desk. No bell. A few signs, obviously propped up on the desk for the night, that we couldn’t read. One of which would surely provide the information for reaching an on-call person. The dim light a challenge for the camera option of Google Translate. Too lazy to do the two phone solution of flashlight plus translate, guessing seemed more fun. Our first haunch proved comedic, choosing a narrow side path that led to urine collection bathrooms.<\/p>\n
Somehow, it worked out as it has so far. Tubes of blood got drawn and we then headed for the 1:00 am MRI appointment. Yes 0100. We had laughed and thought it a language miscommunication when we were first offered, “Miss, there are two available times, one a.m., or four twenty a.m.<\/em>”<\/p>\n Medical adventures in a foreign land. As I wait out her long MRI, my restlessness brings me to wander the empty basement hallway.<\/p>\n
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