A Doctor’s Visit

It was 5:45am on a Tuesday morning when my alarm went off.  It was time to get out of bed and get ready for a doctor’s checkup.  You see, there are no such things here as an appointment at a specific time, but when you want to see the doctor, you just go to the clinic on his clinic day.  We hurriedly had a simple breakfast of tea and bread, and rushed off to town.  As soon as we arrived at the clinic, the guards/traffic directors directed my husband to park in the overflow parking lot.  It was 7:30am. 

After climbing the few steps, we entered the building and walked to the reception desk where I gave my name and the name of the doctor I wanted to see.  From there, we went to the payment desk, paid the fee for the appointment and took our receipt.  We walked outside to the veranda we had just passed to stop at the desk and take a number.  We had #27.  As I already stated, it was 7:30am.  We thought we were early.  While waiting for my vitals to be checked, we started chatting with #16.  She had gotten there before 7. 

Now to give you an accurate picture, you have to imagine hordes of people waiting in one waiting room.  No one is calling names, no one is calling numbers.  It’s a situation where you wander around asking your neighbors, “What number are you?”  In this way, you try to find your near neighbors so you know who to follow.  In our case, we were watching for #25 and 26.   Thankfully, it’s a private clinic with enough chairs for those waiting.  That would not be the case in the public hospital.

9:15am.  It was my turn.  The nurse took my vitals and entered them in the computer.  Then it was time to wait for the doctor.

12:15pm.  #26 exited the doctor’s office and it was my turn to enter.  The checkup was smooth and uneventful. Both Mom and Baby Taibu are doing well and we are looking forward to meeting our little one in October, Lord willing.