A trip to the Doctor

For the past few days, I have not been feeling well, but I have been overwhelmed with the amount of care and worry people have shown for me. One of the teachers from the school gave me the name of a doctor in Beit Sahour, so I decided to go on an adventure to find the doctor. The clinic was fairly easy to find...I just asked for directions at a store and found my way from there. Once I got to the clinic, I was amazed by how easy it was to be seen by a doctor. It's not at all like the US where you have to fill out countless forms and insurance papers. The receptionist simply asked my name and where I was living. Then she asked me to pay the fee for seeing the doctor, which was only 15 sheqel (less than $5). I sat down in the waiting room, thinking that it might be a while since there were many other people waiting to be seen. But they called me up within 5 minutes...I was grateful for this speediness but also felt guilty since there were so many people who had been there before me. Once again my foreignness proved to be an advantage. Within 10 minutes, the doctor diagnosed me with follicular tonsillitis and gave me prescriptions for 3 medicines. Unfortunately, this is contagious, so he told me I cannot go to school for 3 more days until the medicine kicks in. It will be good for my body to rest, but I think I will go a little stir-crazy being by myself all day...luckily our TV has a few good English stations! It is hard to be sick and be so far from home, but being sick also makes you realize how many people care about you.