Thanks for Paying Your Taxes!

So not too much has happened after moving to my site. I'm starting to get into a routine where I work Monday through Friday at the health center from about a little before 9 to a little after 2 (though the times vary day to day). Then once the sun starts to go down so it's a bit cooler, around 5 o'clock I go out for a walk around my town for an hour or so until the sun sets and its dark out. It's nice to get out and stroll at a cooler time of the day because it is SO HOT here. Not even going inside in the shade is a releif because the heat just builds up inside. So once it starts to cool off a bit (comparitavely) I'll go out.

But as for the title of this post. Many people have been asking me, well before I left for the Peace Corps, what the medical care would be like. I must say it's great. I think I have the best medical coverage now during the next two years than I ever will the rest of my life. The other week I had to go into town (Georgetown) because I chipped my tooth. PC staff in the office wanted to know how it happened, "rock in your rice?" "eating bones?" "did you fall/get injured?" No. None of the above. It's much more comical. With my first host family, being of Indian/Amerindian decent, I ate with my hands almost exclusivly, with the occasional spoon depending on the meal. But in my new host family, of African decent, I rarely eat with my hands; using a fork and sometimes a knife. Well, I guess after getting used to eating with my hands, I forgot how to eat with a fork! So one day over breakfast I ended up chipping my tooth by biting onto the fork I was using. I couldn't help but laugh at how funny it is, I've used forks most of my life, but not using them for a bit I guess I've become a bit more awkward with them. So needless to say I needed a dental appointment.

I called the PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) and had an appointment set up 5 days later. My transportation out of site into town (and back), the full cost of the appointment (at an "international/western standard" dentist), and a hotel stay (since theres no way to get to town and back in 1 day, I have to stay overnight and leave early the next day) were 100% covered with no co-pay. Even of the best insurance plans, which ones pay for transportation and hotel?! So thank you readers for paying your taxes, I really appreciate it! Without it, I might just be stuck with a chipped tooth forever. My favorite part of the entire experience was learning that waiting room smooth jazz transcends international boundaries.