Lesson 59

The Korean Ear Nose Throat doctor next door is terrifying.

Since I'm not getting any better, Jeena took me next door to the ENT doctor during my midday break. I was told that I could not be seen for at least another hour, so I returned at 3:00 with Julia (Tara covered my class). Unfortunately the secretary called my name only five minutes prior, so I had to go back to hanging out in the waiting room.

Korea has a universal health care system, but I'm not covered yet because Julia and David somehow forgot to register me. Julia apologized for this and told me that the visit will be a little expensive. I ask her how much: 11,000 won. That's about $9. My copay in New Jersey was double that, so I just laugh and tell her that I would still like to see the doctor.

There were at least 30 people in the waiting room at the Korean ENT. I was told that I'd be seen in 40 minutes - that's only about a minute and a half with each patient. I didn't believe the secretary, but hoped she was right.

Forty minutes later they called my name and took me into a smaller room where four other people were sitting in chairs waiting. The "office" had no curtain or sectioned-off area to ensure one's privacy, so the four people who were waiting had a front-row seat to anyone's doctor's visit.

The doctor motioned for me to sit in the patient's chair shortly after walking into the room. There was no sanitation process after the previous patient left and the doctor plunked me down in the chair and turned to Julia, who translated my symptoms. I tell her in about 30 seconds what my issue is and the whole time the doctor is poking me and prodding me in the face and neck.

Imagine you're at your doctor's office in the States. He or she talks to you in a very kind voice, tells you exactly what they're doing, maybe tells you "this will only hurt a little" and slowly, gently does whatever is necessary. Now take that situation and imagine it with completely opposite adjectives. In short: the Korean ENT had the bedside manner of a wolverine. After shoving various metal instruments in my nose and throat with no explanation and spraying some sort of medicine into my nasal cavity she points to the door. Julia tells me that we're done.

Now I understand how the doctor can see 30 patients in 40 minutes.

P.S. Guess how much my medicine cost? 15,000 won. Without health care coverage.