{"id":325,"date":"2012-01-13T20:16:32","date_gmt":"2012-01-13T20:16:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=325"},"modified":"2019-01-08T11:53:52","modified_gmt":"2019-01-08T11:53:52","slug":"the-waiting-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/the-waiting-room\/","title":{"rendered":"The Waiting Room…"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"kettles<\/p>\n

Our relocation agent contacted us last week with a reminder that we had an appointment at the Doctor’s.\u00a0\u00a0 We are not sick, but apparently she felt it would be a good idea to go along and meet him before we were.\u00a0\u00a0 Having been exposed to a few segments of German life that are a lot more formal than in both of the previous countries we have lived in,\u00a0 I thought that this pre-visit to the doctors was something necessary, and agreed to it to get it out of the way.<\/em><\/h4>\n

I hate everything about visiting the Doctor, and try to stay healthy to avoid it, but yesterday we set off to the surgery with vaccination books in hand. \u00a0 Doctor’s receptionists are a special breed the world over aren’t they? \u00a0 I do wonder whether they undertake training in the art of brusqueness?\u00a0\u00a0 She was probably wondering what an earth a fully grown woman with two children was doing being accompanied to the doctors by her relocation agent,\u00a0 and I have to say at that point, so was I.<\/p>\n

All eyes were upon us when we walked into the waiting room, and there was an expectant silence, thankfully broken by M (relocation agent) who greeted each coughing and spluttering occupant with a hearty “Gr\u00fc\u00df Gott” (hello in these here parts!), and I stood looking like a twit thinking that if we weren’t sick before, we soon would be! \u00a0 The waiting room nodded and replied, whilst at the same time studying us intensely to try and work out what kind of species we were, and what ailments we were suffering from!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I have observed this mass greeting on several occasions before here, when entering restaurants and the like.\u00a0 It is quite an alien concept coming from a country where we usually do our best to ignore each other!!<\/p>\n

On the wall opposite was an abstract painting, a huge canvas where the artist had glued string in a pattern before getting rather carried away with purple and pink paint, giving it an altogether visceral air.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I can’t blame The Small Boy for thinking that it was a painting of an operation, but managed to reassure him that we weren’t there for anything quite like that.<\/p>\n

His mind was soon put at rest as it was then our turn to meet our new Doctor (who looked rather bemused at this group waiting to see him)! \u00a0\u00a0 Thankfully he was a very pleasant and jolly chap, whose English is excellent. \u00a0 Both children later said he reminded them of Father Christmas, but without the beard.\u00a0 I might have to remind them of that one day.<\/p>\n

A surreal visit, and one which has spurred me into getting real German lessons sorted once and for all so I can stop looking like a complete idiot in certain situations. \u00a0\u00a0 Ich bin nicht krank – it’s a start isn’t it!?<\/p>\n

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Share me:<\/h3>