tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post863542940557440152..comments2023-10-28T07:12:08.886-04:00Comments on History In High Heels: Life as a Foreigner Ashley Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00236510259497625169noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-49436807083521385462015-11-11T20:10:51.561-05:002015-11-11T20:10:51.561-05:00I lived in Italy for a few years (Naples) as a US ...I lived in Italy for a few years (Naples) as a US military health care provider, and I often worked with the Italian healthcare system so I know how chaotic it is when you are not ill; I can only imagine how it is when you are. I'm glad everything worked out.<br /><br />I love the photo and the wall art. At this point in the semester, I mostly want to take naps!June The Serial Hobbyist Girlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16959050331866813237noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-42933050800843015162015-11-06T15:08:57.450-05:002015-11-06T15:08:57.450-05:00This post comes just at the right time! I work in ...This post comes just at the right time! I work in retail and this week we have been having a lot of Chinese and Japanese customers that do not understand English. I had a difficult time but was never rude or mean to them like some of my co-workers who flat out yelled at them when they could not understand something. Have patience for foreigners because you never know when you might end up in a country that does not speak your language. lolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16950089617707841823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-74116956591324457752015-11-04T10:24:15.763-05:002015-11-04T10:24:15.763-05:00I am glad that everything worked out! Since a lot ...I am glad that everything worked out! Since a lot of people have commented on it, I think that in general, you don't need to worry too much about getting a huge hospital bill for minor health issues when travelling abroad. The biggest bill I've ever had for a "regular" visit to a European emergency room was 90€. Obviously if you have a major problem and need to get airlifted home, that's another issue entirely, but you should get travel insurance for that kind of emergency. <br /><br />My family and I have gotten sick all over Asia and Europe, and my experience after visiting probably 30 different hospitals is that doctors want to help sick people, and most of them understand how hard it is to not speak the language. Another important thing to remember is that people are proud of their country and they want to show you the best care possible because they want you to have a good impression. <br /><br />My brother once had a huge rash and the Children's Hospital in Florence flew in an infectious disease specialist from another city to treat him. So in that case, they were freaked out that he had brought some new, terrifying disease into the country and he needed to be seen by the best doctors so they could decide whether to quarantine him (this was not the outcome, thankfully). I don't even think that we got charged for that because they were just so happy that he wasn't carrying a plague, haha. <br /><br />It's definitely scary being sick in another country, so it's good to remember that the world is full of wonderful people, full of empathy :)Christinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10579856458163105109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-21643653635763693142015-11-03T19:10:42.151-05:002015-11-03T19:10:42.151-05:00Living in our native languages I think there are s...Living in our native languages I think there are so many benefits we don't realize! Similarly I have always had medical insurance until the past year...though I can easily navigate the language being unsure how much treatment will cost has been difficult. I used to go to the doctor for everything, now I'm constantly asking "is it worth it?!" I hope you're starting to feel better, I can imagine sickness in an unfamiliar health system would be a little overwhelming!Fairy Princess Jordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463494133725810723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-55410539434613890312015-11-03T13:41:19.671-05:002015-11-03T13:41:19.671-05:00I'm amazed at the cost of your medical care. T...I'm amazed at the cost of your medical care. That same service would have easily cost 4-5 times that in the states. Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17154189879456725131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-91766652777553016482015-11-03T11:11:46.676-05:002015-11-03T11:11:46.676-05:00It really is the worst! But like everything in lif...It really is the worst! But like everything in life, what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.Ashley Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236510259497625169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-36220136453239061202015-11-03T11:10:59.223-05:002015-11-03T11:10:59.223-05:00Yes, Europeans often have to speak multiple langua...Yes, Europeans often have to speak multiple languages and because of that, I find that they are much more forgiving... Except for Florentines. They claim they invented modern Italian and they are pretty protective of it and will constantly correct you. But it is never in a malicious way. They just want to help you improve, or so they tell me lol.Ashley Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236510259497625169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-41305842638287966552015-11-03T11:08:40.917-05:002015-11-03T11:08:40.917-05:00That gif is perfect! I constantly want to shout in...That gif is perfect! I constantly want to shout in Italian that I am so much smarter and more articulate in English lol. It is scary how close minded people can be and what we teach our children.Ashley Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236510259497625169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-54374244288179510102015-11-03T11:06:59.396-05:002015-11-03T11:06:59.396-05:00YES! All of that makes such a difference, and if y...YES! All of that makes such a difference, and if you’re anything like me, you have good days and bad days. And I couldn’t agree more that it’s the people with zero experience with another language/culture that are the most bigoted. PS - your english is probably better than mine ;)Ashley Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236510259497625169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-72680128296663887462015-11-03T10:51:23.871-05:002015-11-03T10:51:23.871-05:00When I worked at MAC, I often had customers who di...When I worked at MAC, I often had customers who did not speak English very well. I'm pretty empathetic and have great comprehension, so we usually figured things out, but a lot of other people working in customer service are not as understanding. I figure that having been in other countries and made a fool of myself by either speaking little or no of the native language. I always have this thought whenever I'm in this situation or see someone else in it - http://i.imgur.com/YD0DwV4.gif<br /><br />jess | <a href="http://www.jesslyons.com" rel="nofollow">Bows & Bouquets</a><br /><br />jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07519710971221936542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-65126217583261418872015-11-03T09:10:57.351-05:002015-11-03T09:10:57.351-05:00Great post! It's so easy for people who only s...Great post! It's so easy for people who only speak their native tongue to judge others so harshly. Being an american in France has really helped me to empathize with foreigners in the US and all the " You live here you need to speak English PERFECTLY WITHOUT ANY HINT OF AN ACCENT!" nonsense. People like to say the French are rude but I have never run into one who told me my French needed to be perfect if I wanted to continue living here! BBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00346625571521727267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-42471833330877889282015-11-03T08:11:03.899-05:002015-11-03T08:11:03.899-05:00I completely agree! There's nothing more alien...I completely agree! There's nothing more alienating than being sick in a foreign country and not knowing exactly what to do. Happy it all worked out for you in the end. Paigehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07752262803016971923noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7369547557247475858.post-21073213827353254052015-11-03T07:35:00.560-05:002015-11-03T07:35:00.560-05:00Great post, and I completely agree! I moved to an ...Great post, and I completely agree! I moved to an English-speaking country a few years ago, feeling fairly confident about my English. It's still a steep learning curve - strong local dialects, slang, a local's fast pace of speech. In my experience, it's people who've never in their life experienced living somewhere else who love complaining about 'foreigner's who don't speak the language'.Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08693724686228061964noreply@blogger.com