Shit Happens

Shit happens.
It's true. It's a phrase that's commonly used when things aren't rainbows and butterflies. It's used lightly, even when situations aren't so light. Whether it be a flat tire, a death, or quite literally a bird drops its fecal matter atop your head.

I'm home. I came back to The land of Liberty early. It was with great purpose, and it feels 100% right to be back here.

Being abroad made me appreciate things that I find a majority of Americans talking shit about.. We complain about all of the things our country is doing wrong, and lack the ability to be thankful for what the 'restricting' laws do bring to the table. Us Yankees may not be "Free" like European countries. We may not be able to smoke in restaurants, drink under the age of 21, and many other things that matter on a more grandiose scale.

A big big problem that many have with the U.S. is healthcare. While I do undetstand the outrageous financial constraint that healthcare may have on all of us. We need to at least look at the positives, our hospitals are extremely sanitary; Although Hospitals are quite eerie on their own, even when the floors sparkle and everyone is dressed in white and turquoise, (that sounds comparable to an aquafresh commercial) We have it pretty nice over here.

Example:
My roomate needed to go to the Emergency Room while in Athens. So myself and another friend took a taxi with her to the nearest (And reportedly the NICEST) Hospital in Greece. When we arrived we walk into the entrance, there is a rancid smell and people laying on stretchers in the waiting area unattended, the floor and walls were covered in filth. The medical staff seemed to be scarce. Feeling like we were in some weird dream; went from room to room asking for the emergency room, each person pointing us towards a different direction.
Ultimately, we stumble into the appropriate "Emergency Room". There are 3 or 4 doctors sitting there Smoking cigarettes and chatting away. The Male doctor- in jeans, long scruffy hair and an unbuttoned white coat; which looks as though he pulled it out of his dirty clothes hamper while rushing out the door to work.... actually I take that back, he most likely didn't rush to work. The three of us fish-out-of-water foreigners stand there in shock and awe. As if we weren't starttled enough by the first impression of the hospital, we now stand there staring at a clique of smoking doctors staring at us.
"can I help you?" says the skinny scruffy guy.
[Eh, no we just felt like leaving our apartment at 11pm on a sunday night because we had nothing better to do than pick up a few diseases and another good dose of 2nd hand smoke.]

Reportedly from my dear friend, the doctor continued smoking, while giving her an old re-usable thermometer, had her wipe it off and tuck it away in her armpit. George McScruffy joked around about how "They probably don't let doctors smoke in America, do they?!"

The answer: no, no doctors, patients, visitors, not anyone, not even in the waiting area. Even in some places, not even outside the hospital.

He told her that he made her friends (my friend and me) wait outside because we were destracting him. I understand that if a couple of nice young girls come in, it may be a bit destracting, but keep it to yourself George. They then, ask her to stay for an ultra sound, when suddenly a man with blood gushing down his face is placed next to her. They just sit people in the same room almost like it's a room for a support group, not an F-ing Emergency Room!

Meanwhile, after I feel like I'm bout to faint, Anna and I find a nice cold dirty chair to sit on in the waiting area. There wasn't a place out of the eye's view which didn't have some sickly being sitting there or lying there in a stretcher. Soon we see our friend exiting the restroom looking like she'd just seen a ghost, barely able to explain that the toilets had no seats, there was no toilet paper, and there were urine filled bed pans laying around everywhere. She claims a reign check on the Ultra Sound without needing words...tells us through her eyes "Let's Get the HELLL out of here".

We go to the front desk. The lady hesitates to look up and notice us. When she does, she holds up her finger- the Universal "one moment" finger. shuffles around for a minute, discovers her cigarettes, lights up, and then finally proceeds to help us. I don't think the lady had a friendly (or funny, for that matter) bone in her body...

25 Euro's later, the three of us find ourselves walking down the Exit pathway, speechless. I truly wish I could have documented that place with photos because words cannot even roughly paint a picture. So while America is all up in Arms about healthcare, at LEAST be bloody thankful that we are kept in sterile conditions. Rather than gaining a few sicknesses through the hospital visit.

And to any of you on your way to the Hospitals in Athens; I do in fact, have good news! You just saved 20% on your car insurance.