SOS Clinic

This morning Mommy got a phone call from the school saying that Joseph had been injured on the playground. Mommy thought it was just a bloody lip but the nurse insisted that Mommy come and get Joseph and take him to the doctor to have him examined.

Mommy got the girls and we walked to the main street outside the entrance leading to our apartment. We hailed a taxi and of course, the driver didn't speak any english. Luckily, he knew where Pattimura Elementary school was located. When we got to the school, Mommy asked if he would wait. He did not understand. Finally Mommy said 5 minutes and he understood since the Indonesian word for minute is 'menit'...very convenient.

So apparently Joseph was playing at recess when another child literally ran into him (kid was running) and he said he hit his head/face on a wooden ladder. The nurse said when Joseph was brought to the office he said he was dizzy. So, that is why the nurse insisted Mommy take Joseph to a doctor to have him examined. His lip was purple and puffy and bleeding too.

Mommy was clever enough to have the school nurse tell the taxi driver how to get to the SOS clinic. We got to the clinic and checked in. We waited no more than 5 or 10 minutes before we saw the Indonesian doctor. He was super nice and all the kids really liked him. He checked Joseph out and said he thought he was fine. He just wanted Mommy to observe him for 24 hours to make sure he didn't start feeling nauseous or start vomiting.

The doctor also wrote a prescription for Joseph's lips. He said it would help it heal faster. Then the doctor blew up three gloves and drew faces on them for the kids to play with. They played with the balloons while Mommy was trying to check out and caused quite a ruckus at the otherwise quiet clinic. Mommy thought the glove balloons were cute, but maybe not such a great idea.

Since Joseph did not have an appointment, Mommy had to pay for the visit first. Daddy can apply to have the cost reimbursed. Mommy wasn't sure how much it would cost, but the doctor's visit was $30.00 (U.S. dollars) and the prescription was $20.00. So, the whole visit only cost $50.00 which was the cost of our copay in the states. Mommy was quite satisfied with the doctor and with the facilities. The onsite pharmacy filled our prescription right away...very convenient. Then the cashier got one of the security guards to hail a taxi for us so that we didn't have to walk out to the busy road.

As luck would have it, this taxi driver didn't speak english either. Mommy kept telling him Hotel Sultan (most drivers seem to know the major hotels in the area) and he seemed confused. Finally Mommy said Senayan which is the area we live in and he seemed to understand. Mommy was hoping that when we got to the Senayan area, she could point out the general direction we needed to go. Anyway, as luck would have it, the driver got on the road that went in the direction of the apartments. Mommy waved at the apartments (since it is rude to point with your finger) and he seemed to understand. He drove us all the way to the front lobby with no futher problems. Mommy was quite relieved.

Joseph really seems fine. Mommy accidentally bumped Joseph's lip while helping him brush his teeth and it started bleeding again. Mommy felt very bad about that. Other than his lip, Joseph says he feels fine. He acted like his usual self all day.

Mommy is feeling a bit like she has been thrown into the fire here in Indonesia. Mommy guesses there is no better way to learn than to just be forced to deal with things. If left up to her, Mommy would have slowly worked up enough courage to get out on her own in taxis and to the store and such.

Although things are difficult at times, Mommy does recognize that we have been very blessed. Mommy has been able to recognize the Lord's hand in many of the events that have occurred since we have been here. Even today, the traffic was miraculously not bad. We got to Joseph's school and then to the clinic and even back home in record time. Normally it would take at least an hour to get from the school to the clinic. We got to the clinic in maybe 15 minutes. It was maybe 20 minutes to get back to the apartment when normally it would have taken over an hour. The school even had Mommy check Joseph out for the rest of the day because they knew we had to go to the SOS clinic and back.

Mommy must admit that even in the short time that we have been in Indonesia, we are already having some memorable adventures. Life in Indonesia has certainly been anything but dull!