A visit to the hospital. How to survive abroad?

It's probably not part of your plans to explore another country, but it always makes sense to prepare for the worst. Imagine this. You feel completely lost wandering the unfamiliar streets of a strange city at night. And you can't take the confused directions of passersby, chirping rapidly in a foreign language. Oh yes, and you are also in a wheelchair.

You probably thought I'd decided to tell you about my wild adventures with beer and clubs as the main ingredients for a good evening. But no, to describe my night, I was more likely to use such terms as «hospital» «confusion and exhaustion» and unplanned surgery».

The atmosphere of the hospital room reminded me of an old, but not particularly friendly acquaintance. My other companion, Mr. Operating Room, had not failed to make himself known. Trying not to feel too sorry for myself, I resorted to my usual strategy of remembering that I was not the only one in such a deplorable condition. Unfortunately, it is quite common for exchange students to have to deal with medical problems abroad.

When Daniel Crutchfield started working at the Sorbonne after graduating from Hull University, he was diagnosed with a tumor. Daniel speaks well of medicine in France, but he still had some problems. Nobody knew how to register me properly," he says. I had a similar experience. I was completely satisfied with the medical care, but being asked to guess my own weight made me feel quite strange.

In my naive summertime attempt to make sure I was prepared for a long trip abroad, I did the only sensible thing possible: I made a list of things I needed. A couple of days before I was due to leave my parents advised me to bring a photocopy of my university insurance card in addition to my European Health Insurance Card. This advice later proved to be quite sensible.

In the days before I left, my parents advised me to take a photocopy of my university insurance card.

This is proved by a story that happened to Louis Glover in a Moscow hospital. Louis, a student at the University of Birmingham, says: «The surgeon couldn't start the operation without making sure I had insurance. But there was no problem with the language barrier-all the medical staff spoke English. While in the hospital, I watched the best moments of the Italian soccer championship and some stupid Italian TV quizzes. But the Cuban hospital where Hélène Ward, a student at Manchester University, was not so modern: «I felt like I was stuck in the 60s, although everything was free with& my residency and I could not complain about the cleanliness of the rooms or the staff».

• Make sure you re insured and have all the necessary documents with you to prove it. If your trip abroad is a study trip, you will most likely get health insurance from the university. But be sure to check this beforehand. Newcastle University, for example, has come up with an unusual way to store important information. We give every student electronic bracelets that contain information they might need in the hospital," said Craig Langstaff, an insurance agent at the university. But keep in mind, university insurance will only cover you while you're studying. If it's not associated with your trip, you'll need to pay for your own insurance.

• Don't be afraid to seek medical help. I didn't really want to go to the hospital at first, but if I hadn't, things could have been a lot worse. It is better to see a doctor right away, than to face complications later.

• Don't hesitate to ask questions. I know I've looked silly asking for the third time in a row if I really needed surgery, but at least I know for sure.

• Let someone friends or acquaintances know where you are. No one can help you if they don't know what's going on with you. If you can, take a friend to the hospital with you for moral support. They can also make the phone calls if you can't make them yourself.

• Be aware. Know beforehand where the nearest hospital is and how to get there, and write down the number of ambulances and other emergency services on your phone. You never know when you might need it.

When I left the hospital, the nurses said they really hoped they wouldn't see me there again. And despite my good impressions of the hospital, I still shared their desire.

I hope that my future visits there will be limited to eating delicious tiramisu at a local cafe. Mr. Surgery and I need some time apart to rethink our relationship.

Author: Jeremy Green. Translated by: Tatyana Kulikova.