telki

My "second mother" over here came knocking on our door this afternoon and asked if we wanted to go visit Telki, the hospital I will deliver at. We hadn't been there yet, and as the day is approaching quickly, we hopped in the car and went.

This hospital is private and super nice compared to the state hospitals around here. I have discovered in recent weeks that the level of health care I am personally receiving is much better than what the Hungarians receive. The reason? I am a "paying patient." The Hungarians are under the socialized medicine, but because of my health insurance (and even lack thereof for labor and delivery) I get better care. So this hospital is private and the one where foreigners go, mainly Americans, because we can afford it. (By the way, they have no idea what to do with me like when I go to the pharmacy because I don't have their "card." My doctor is part of an American sort of clinic, so there it hasn't been an issue.)

I know that the doctors and people who work there speak English because of this, but as Kevin and I have discovered, there is a difference between being able to speak English and really speaking English. We asked what questions we could think of, and Tina asked a bunch more because, quite frankly, I have no idea what to ask because I've never done this before, much less in a foreign country. There seemed to be some of what we asked that got "lost in translation," and we're not quite sure if we got the answers to the questions we asked. I mean, she answered the questions, but I don't know if she understood what we were asking.

I wasn't feeling too nervous about delivering a baby here until today. I mean, of course it's a new thing in general so I'm naturally clueless and nervous. But now I am much more anxious about it. The hospital is nice and all but not like the hospitals back in the States. I can't quite describe it. It was just a different feeling, and I am not so sure how it'll all go. My feeling right now: I just want this all over with!