maandag 28 september 2009

Ukrainian doctors might be the most stupid in the world

My hart was pounding and I tried not to cry in the middle of the street; trying to get a taxi, but they were ripping me off, so I decided to walk 20 minutes to the nearest metro. While being on the metro I had to take some tissues, and it might have been the most depressing metro-ride I have have taking. I just had left the poli-clinic where they had done an extra x-ray, after they found a suspicious spot on the roentgen from friday. And there it was again: a strange square spot, but it had move a bit.... They couldn;t tell me what it was, and I needed to make another appointment, but they told me, it could as well be a tumor. I already saw myself flying back to holland.

(as you can see in the picture, there is a square object on a rib on my left chest)

I needed to get back to the clinic later in the afternoon, so I decided to go home and make some phone-calls, asking my parents to call my doctor for some help, calling my health insurance, if I needed to be operated etc. My parents assured me they would arrange everything, and while doing so, I just randomly googled: 'x-ray chest object", and got all these images shown of people swalloing coins etc, but also an explanation on how to prepare before going into an x-ray:
Before the test begins, you will be asked to remove your clothing--usually just from the waist up--and put on a hospital gown. You also will be asked to remove all jewelry and any other objects containing metal (such as eyeglasses and hair pins). This is done because metal can block the image and interfere with the test results.


And when I read 'hairpin'..... I mean, you guys all know how I wear my hear,



and the stupid doctor forget THREE times to ask me to get my hairpin out, nor did all the doctors I have spoken so far did not think it was MY HAIRPIN which is the square object.... sigh. So luckily I don't have any strange object in my body ;)

donderdag 24 september 2009

Kiev, here I am

So I finally arrived in Kiev! Well, this wont be a long post, since I am tired, but most of all just very lazy today. So I arrived a couple of days ago in Kiev and I'll write down some of my first impressions etc.

I am studying russian and ukranian language at kiev economic state university for two semesters and I'll live for one year in a dorm. I was a bit afraid what to expect for 450 euro's rent for one year, but to be honest, the place is great! It's modern, new, clean and most of all, has a nice atmosphere.

Further, my classmates rock! They are all guys (that's a bit unfortunate, though positvely, due to ukranian bureaucracy, I am not allowed to live with a guy - can get that - or a ukranian in my room (?) - which means I have the 2 beds' room for myself for now :) ); my fellow students are from various countries: a chinese with american citizenship since he lived in Atlanta (georgia) for 8 years and studied politcal science undergrate, who still has a very much chinese accent, but is very sweet and looks very american :); a flamish (belgium) from Leuven, young guy, who just graduated in engeneering; a swedish lad, doing bachelors long-distance in programming, in love with the balkans (he knows serbian, I mean, he really does, he studied it in sweden, not kidding); an english economic, graduated in january, who got bored with working, and decided to come here and study russian; a turkish boy, just turned 22, wanting to work in ukraine in the tourist industry, like he did in anatalya, his hometown (he speaks good russian already); a strange indian guy with a ukrainian girlfriend who already lived here one year and is the only one not living in the dorm (he has to travel every day 1 hour to get at uni, while we all live at 1 minute from it); and that's about it: a funny combination, but all very good people i think.

So the dorm is literally ONE minute from our classroom at university, and that's the closest I have ever lived next to work/studies in my entire live. So far, I really enjoy roling out of my bed, into the classes :).

The lessons are really nice btw, our teacher Jelena is a darling and very patient, she also has one philosophy: you are not babies, you study because you want to, I can not force you, it's your responsibility; which makes me really want to work hard and study a lot (I mean, it IS my responsibility, and she is totally right, I want to study, so I should work).

And then Kiev: well, as far as I have been able to walk around the city centre a bit: it is absolutely GORGEOUS! Old trees, while we are entering fall, imaging the colors; old architecture, balconies (it is like Tbilisi, but than think of Tbilisi as a provincial city and Kiev as a World capital).

I hope to see more of Kiev soon, this weekend I'll have time; and I def hope to get some Ukrainian friends. That sure is my next goal, after getting my medical clearance (ukrainian bureaucracy....)

maandag 21 september 2009

How Georgia wants me to stay

When I opened my eyes and realized it should not be so light outside at 6.30 am I think I got a heart-attack. I ran to my phone, discovered it was 9.20 am, shouted multiple times ‘Fuck’, tried to wake up my friend who was supposed to bring me to the airport (which didn’t work all so well, as it seemed he was in a coma), got dressed faster than the guinnes book of records has ever encountered, stuffed the last things in my bag, and discovered from my friend that the check-in already had closed.
However, missing my flight and therefore postponing it with one day wasn’t the only sign of proof Georgia was not going to let me go. Sitting at the airport now, so at least I made it till the boarding part (free wifi at the airport ROCKS btw).
I was supposed to fly on the 18th, and had a place reserved on the plane. According to the lady from my travel agency I could come in any day to pay for it, and so I did, a couple of days later. Unfortunately, due to miscommunication, or the lady of the travel agency being stupid (the latter I do belief is somehow true, but that had more to do with the fact my last name is spelled wrongly on the ticket; how is it possible to write a four letter name wrong, Snip isn’t that difficult, but somehow, she came up with Spn.... oh, and not to forget my ticket says Mr Spn.... not even Mrs Spn), anyway, she laughed at me and told me my reservation was gone, since ‘everybody’ knows, you have to pay for it 4 days ahead max. When I told her, she did not inform me about it, she looked at me and said: ‘But it’s logical!’. Very logical indeed.
Nevertheless, I decided to swallow it and change the flight to another date, a more expensive one. First she told me the ticket would be only 20 Lari more if I would go on the 21st. I thought that was an oke price. I had to wait for some sort of confirmation while being at the agency’s office. And I waited, for 40 minutes, I waited for 40 minutes for her to tell me she was wrong and the ticket would be 80 Lari more. You can understand my frustration, so I asked her if she could check the price of the 20th; she did, at least I thought that she did so, however, after another ten minutes, she returned to me and said with a big happy smile she booked my ticket. Of course I told her that I needed to know the price before agreeing upon booking, and she said: ‘80 Lari more’, with again, a face: but-that-is-logical. I told her that normally when I book a ticket (which I always do online, now I realize again why), the price is different per day, and that is why I wanted to check, and I preferred the flight on monday. She stressed out, told me it didn’t work like that in Georgia (like Georgia is on another planet, right), and that she already booked it. I swallowed it, again, and left her office one and a half hour later, with a more expensive ticket on a date I didn’t want (I am such a pushover.....).
Anyway, I was supposed to fly on the 20th, but when after a crazy night of partying for my goodbye, I got home at six, and decided I could sleep for just 20 minutes. Just 20 minutes...