That being said, I felt this was worthy of posting about even without the flashy, spectacular pictures that you've come to expect on No.1 OK blog.
Beth was sick this week. Sick enough to warrant a trip to the doctor. WAIT! you might say...that means taking a precious sick day, finding parking, waiting an unknown amount of time to see the doctor, and then being shuffled off quickly once you've seen him. All this before you've made it to the pharmacy to get your prescription. An all day affair for sure.
This is not the case in South Korea.
Beth decided that her cough was enough that she could use some medicine. We got up, walked 10 minutes to the doctor, waited about 30 minutes (the receptionist asked if it was okay to wait that long), saw the doctor for about 10 minutes (all doctors speak english here, no language barrier issues), and paid the receptionist $3.
Yes, $3. It's true, we both pay $75 a month for insurance, but we think it's still pretty amazing how inexpensive and quick the process is. We left with a prescription and headed to the pharmacist who is downstairs, in the same building. Beth got 5 days worth of pills and a bottle of cough syrup for...$3. Our entire trip to the doctor minus our monthly payment was $6 and it took less than an hour to: walk to the doctor, see the doctor, get the prescription filled, and get back home.
If there was ever any question in my mind about the healthcare system in the U.S. being completely broken and a racket, that question was ejected out the 3rd story window of Dr. Shin's hospital. How could there be such a gap between the costs? We aren't talking about a third world country that hands you a salve made of beeswax and sulfur to cure your ills...South Korea is ranked 5th in the world in the national wealth category. There are really too many points to make about the efficiency of healthcare here as compared to the states.
Not everything is perfect here. The fact that you can't find a decent piece of cheese is pretty darn frustrating, and don't even get me started on the dismal state of beer here. That being said, one of the great things about being in a different place is seeing how things can be done differently, whether it is better or worse than what you are used to.
Okay, I can't help it. Here's a picture. This is a machine that you punch a padded square and are judged electronically on your strength. Why on earth it is mounted on an exposed ass...I can't explain. This is in the middle of a kids amusement park.
