Scott and I went to have a medical exam today that is required to obtain resident status in China. What an experience. First, we had to bring 9 passport-like photos with you, but they took another picture when we got there. Then we waited for about an hour in a waiting room that at first had only one man in it (and no receptionist at the desk). By the end of the hour there were at least 30 other people (all foreigners) with us, all standing around with no explanation of what was happening. We somehow managed to be the first two people in line, praise the Lord!
They took us to a little locker room like place where we had to take off our shirts and put on little robes. In a new room, they took 3 tubes of blood (after we were required to have fasted for 5 hours - not a good combination). The blood-taking nurse was not very good at her job, our arms are still sore.
Then we each went in another little room to have an ultrasound done. I think this was to make sure we had organs. I don't know what else they could have been looking for because they were probing the wrong area to be looking for a baby. Not to mention Scott had this done as well. He asked the nurse, "No babies?" She confirmed this for him, thank goodness.
In another little room we had and EKG done, complete with thingys clipped to our ankles, wrists and chest. Odd. Yet another little room brought an ear, nose and eye guy. He made sure I wasn't color blind, or blind and looked in my nose. Apparently he looked in Scott's ears, but not mine, hmmmm. Then we had our blood pressure taken in a different little room.
This next part was even stranger. Still in our pants and robes, we were given winter coats to wear to walk across the parking lot to a different building. This was the x-ray building. We got chest x-rays done, then walked back across the parking lot to the other building.
We were finally done, and by now, so was Timmy. He was not happy about being passed back and forth between MaMa and DaDa while all these tests were being done. Although a nice nurse gave him Hershey kisses. We topped it all off with a much needed, 2:30pm lunch at good old McDonalds.
For pictures from our first week here: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=15202&l=6d5c9&id=1145683473 (you DO NOT need to be a member of Facebook to see these)
4 comments:
That sounds very intrusive, but interesting. So when do you find out if you are fit enough to live in China? :D
Oh my gosh...It's amazing to me what other countries require of us to become residents. Hope you passed with flying colors. Did Timmy have to endure any of this? Or just have to wait?
The results will be mailed to Scott's company and then we can become residents. Timmy only had to come along for the ride. I think I would have freaked out if they tried to do any of this to him!
Yeah for new experiences. That's a unique one
Post a Comment