Tammy introduced me to her physician/pediatrician several months ago, when I needed a pediatrician but ours was away. He's fantastic, with a wry, sarcastic bedside manners -- much like House. He's a great doctor and takes plenty of time with you and explains everything, but he doesn't hesitate to speak his mind. Which makes appointments fun, with lots of jabs back and forth.
Anyway, the Harrisons and the Byrds have a nasty cough/cold thing going on (both husbands excepted, of course). Tammy ended up calling Dr. Jongeneel's office line at 2 am Thursday night, because her daughter was having a severe coughing spell, and she was hoping to get the number of the on-call doctor. But Jongeneel happened to be on call, answered the phone, and ended up COMING OVER to Tammy's house at 2:30 am to administer medication. So on Friday, Tammy had to go back to the doctor to pick up another inhaler. I asked Tammy to ask him if he could recommend SERIOUS cough medicine for me. Tammy came by my house and said, "He wants you to come in. Now." Would this EVER happen in the US? So off I trot, at 5:30 pm on a Friday, with Jack in hand (cause as long as I'm there, I might as well have him listen to Jack, too).
I arrive and have to sit through 10 minutes of him laughing at me about our Spa vacation (which I've yet to document) and reprimanding me for taking the kids on another cruise this summer. But he looks at me, gives me a prescription for a cough medicine, and then he also looked at Jack (who, we found out, has red ears again!) and didn't charge me for it.
So while some things in Belgium bother me, I can't give any complaints about getting in to see a doctor at any time.
Are the Tides Turning?
I read in my expat magazine last week that Starbucks will be coming to Belgium in 2009. Can I tell you how excited I am? And it's not just that I want Starbucks particularly -- I just want takeaway coffee! Tammy and I discovered on Wednesday a beautiful new food store that offers a gorgeous array of precooked food. AND they have a full takeaway coffee bar!! And the GB Express (like a mini grocery store) just installed a takeaway cappuccino/latte machine. Hip, hip, hooray!
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