Wednesday 7th March 2012
My family doctor is in Tbilisi which is over an hour’s journey away and involves a marshutka, metro, a bus and a 10 minute walk. I had arranged to go on Monday this week which involved taking the day off and because we were in Tbilisi on Sunday, I stayed over at a fellow TLGer’s to make it easier. This is the first night in Georgia I have spent without Martin and only about the 3rd time since we have been married. So it felt a little odd! I was 3 minutes with the family doctor. “Come back tomorrow at 5, the rheumatologist is better than the one you are meant to see today.” Who am I to argue? So after school on Tuesday I return to the city and arrive early for the appointment having had a mooch around both the market at Didube and the one at Station Square.
I have to say that this was very nice as Martin (Gawd luv im) is a hopeless shopping companion when you are looking for a mooch. He is great when there is a specific purchase to be had but otherwise he just stands there waiting when I want to peruse and it is very off-putting. Even worse though is when I ask him for his opinion about some casual bauble and he just ignores me. I bought a big bag of sweets, 3 more alien balls with the flashing lights and a wallet for Martin’s birthday. I popped into the Goodwill supermarket to get a ready-made filled roll for lunch (these are not easily found) and interestingly, the meat filled delights had been replaced by vegetarian options. Lenten fasting is taken pretty seriously here – eat as much cakes and sweets as you like but no meat, fish or dairy. So I had a delicious sesame seeded roll with a slice of fried potato and mushrooms in mayonnaise. It was a lucky surprise though as it was labelled chicken Caesar.
Anyway, I arrived 20 minutes early for the appointment as I was warned that the Rheumatologist had many patients and I was being slotted in at the last minute and if a Georgian emphasises the need to be on time then I knew it was serious. Waiting, waiting, waiting. “She is going to be half an hour late” I am reliably informed. Or unreliably as it turned out as she didn’t come at all. For those who know me well, do you remember the old days when I used to be a somewhat impatient kind of person??!! Well Georgia is doing its best to eradicate this delightful tendency by putting me in situations where I am forced to confront it on a daily basis. “Come back tomorrow and see the Rheumatologist that you were booked to see on Monday.” Then I am dismissed and told that a car will be taking me to the Marshutka station so that I can catch the last one home at 7 and that it will be there in 5 minutes. I ring the insurance company after 15 minutes of waiting in the cold. “Ah you are finished and want the driver to collect you now?” Should’ve rung straight away and not trusted what the doctor said, but ever the optimist that I am I thought they knew what they were talking about. I made it in time for the last Marshutka but a drunk kept falling on me as he slept. Still it makes a change, it’s normally me who falls asleep on everyone else.
Cannot face yet another trip to Tbilisi and so have arranged to try again next Tuesday with the Rheumatologist that I saw in the very first place who is the best one. The trouble is, I don’t really know if she is the better or not. She could be the family doctor’s friend or she could be getting a kick back if she passes on patients to them. It’s in the hands of the Gods!
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