It's Sunday. On Wednesday after this Wednesday—April 12, in other words—I plan to drive Nuria to the immigration office in Norfolk, Virginia. Norfolk is a large city, as Virginia cities go. It's on the Atlantic coast with intruding rivers and has a number of highways, bridges, and tunnels. One factor that makes it seem bigger is that it merges seamlessly with the cities of Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. It's a metropolis. For example, Los Angeles is not as big as it seems, but it merges seamlessly with so many other cities and towns around it that LA seems huge. There's Torrance and Long Beach and Pasadena and Anaheim and Huntington Beach and the list goes on. Norfolk isn't that big, but when you're driving through it, it seems just as confusing.
Fortunately, I bought Nuria a Garmin GPS a while ago, and I will rely on it. Nuria and I both have Waze on our phones, and Nuria is a whiz with Waze (pardon the alliteration). We should be able to get to the immigration office without significant trouble, unless my car breaks down, and when you're driving a 28 year old vehicle, a breakdown has to be including on the what-could-go-wrong list. (It's not that I can't afford a newer vehicle. It's just that I'm attached to my old Jeep. It's like an old dog that I hate to put down.)
Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment (filling). The day before I drive to Norfolk, I have a doctor appointment (dermatologist). Two days after the Norfolk trip I have another dentist appointment (filling). Then, near the end of April, I have another dentist appointment (filling or crown). Then in May I have a dentist appointment (crown), a routine cardiologist appointment, and a routine visit to my internal medicine doctor. All I can say is, I'm glad I'm in relatively good health. I can't afford to get sick.
To sum up, I just got a dental filling and in April I'll be getting two, or maybe three fillings and a crown, or two crowns. I can't keep up. Or I could skip the doctors and dentists this year and buy another car.
Ironically, in Costa Rica, which is Nuria's home country, all of this medical stuff is free. The government pays for health care. That includes doctors, dentists, hospitals, and drugs (excluding cancer drugs). If Costa Rica, and Canada, and most first world countries can afford to pay for their citizens' health care, why can't the USA? I'm sure someone, somewhere, is itching to jump up and explain that to us. Go for it.
2 comments:
Greetings
Good luck on your trip to the beach and the dentist. Perhaps you can reward yourselves after sitting through the dental work with an evening of dining and dancing at the beach and under the stars.
I really enjoy the way you write. Your blog is so perfectly laid out that anyone could follow the story you're wishing to impart. I have always appreciated this about your blogs. You never get lost in the weeds but instead you weave us up, down and through the story using wit, humor, facts and sometimes different ideologies than mine.
Oh what a smart and helpful Professor you would have been while I was in college writing classes. I think you would make a very good editor even now or especially now since your life experiences.
I admire your "will do" attitude --
I was wondering why you don't take Nuria's new car since a breakdown could occur with the Jeep. I do pray you have no impediments to your success on this important journey of freedom !!
You are a walking encyclopedia and I enjoy the way you open the book of knowledge and throw a dart to determine which subject you will write about.
Do you take requests for such writings?
Have a safe and fun trip that I pray yields you both the success you're seeking.
Best, LL
Good morning!
Good luck with your dentist. That is something that I think, I would never do in your country because same as doctors, they charge an eye of your face. OMG!.
It's time for you to get out of your house and do something different. To go to Norfolk, VA Beach is unusual but I am sure you will enjoy it.
I love the way how you detailed all the information about it. Good luck!
TA
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