For the last 4 days I’ve been laid up in bed with a nasty 感冒 (ganmao, a cold). Normally I don’t bother seeing a doctor when I get sick since it usually passes fairly quickly, but this one’s been a bit more menacing with cold sweats, a soaring fever, back aches, and all sorts of other gross symptoms. So I decided it’d be wise to get it checked out.

My appointment was this morning at 10:00, and I was pleasantly surprised with the whole experience. Before going I was kind of nervous that I’d get some local doctor who wouldn’t understand my explanation of my symptoms and would misdiagnose me, but when I went in I was delighted to find I’d been matched with an American doctor. English ftw! He was kind and efficient and knew exactly what to prescribe.

The best part was the cost. The appointment was $3 USD, and the medication was $2. About the same cost of my journey to and from the hospital by taxi. Amazing!

Off to watch some movies…