Some More "Firsts"

Over the past week I have experienced two more things that we take for granted would be the same, but are far different from what I expected. I got a haircut and went to the doctor.

Actually, the haircut wasn’t so “out there.” The only problem I ran into was not knowing the right vocabulary for things like “layers” and “split ends” (for future reference the German word for “layers” in your hair translates to “levels”), but I got a good haircut and I was pleased. The awkward part came at the end when I had to ask about tip. Americans are famous for over-tipping everyone, so I try to be conscientious but I never want to leave too little or not tip when I really should. My haircutter was Russian, so she was understanding enough when I explained that I really didn’t know the German customs for tipping stylists and I wanted to make sure I did it right. She said yes she usually is tipped, but it was up to me to determine how much. So I just guessed, and never really did learn how much is appropriate.

The doctor’s office, on the other hand, was totally different from my American preconceived notions. To start off, there is no such thing as an immediate care clinic where you can go just to get medicine when you have a cold or a sprained ankle or something. All doctors have walk-in hours a few mornings a week, and you just find a doctor and go.

With help of the internet I found an English-speaking doctor (more as a safety net just in case), and she was a little bit far away. When I walked into the office, the receptionist looked at my insurance card and said “you live in the city, don’t you? You don’t live in this neighborhood. Well, as long as you’re here, we’ll take you.” Apparently that’s another thing about these German doctors – they are supposed to only see patients that live in the area, so that just in case they have to make a house call they don’t have to travel far. Oops.

My American paradigm imagined a nurse would call me back to a room, I’d put on one of those flattering paper smocks, she would talk to me about what’s wrong, then the doctor would come, examine my ailment, ask about my medical history, and talk about what I needed. What really happened was the doctor herself called me into her office. Literally. I sat down in a chair next to her desk, fully clothed, and told her what was wrong and what I thought I needed. She barely asked any questions, examined me for maybe a few seconds, wrote me a prescription, and sent me out the door.

In addition, my prescription bottles are not labeled with my name, dosage, or warnings. It’s just a bottle of pills that you can’t buy at the grocery store.

The Germans are all healthy people, and the medicine is working, so I guess it’s all just fine. I think Americans are perhaps overly dramatic, paranoid, and demanding when it comes to healthcare. Maybe we should be, but maybe we could suffice just fine with less. I think I’d have to experience more on the other side before I could really say for sure.