Lost in Translation

The other night, while cooking dinner with my friend Brigette, she accidentally cut her finger in the midst of slicing an avocado. The cut was quite deep and no amount of pressure or gauze seemed to stop the bleeding. After wrapping her finger up better than priority mail, we finally decided she would be better off getting some professional care. Around 9PM at night, we set out to find a clinic that could treat her poor finger.

We came across the Clínica Abreu, just a few minutes from our apartment. I was interested in seeing just how fast my friend would be seen after entering a Dominican emergency room. In less than five minutes a doctor was attending to her, and we were being asked questions about her health insurance. My goodness,  that was fast!

The doctor didn't speak very much English, but we didn't mind that at all, especially because he was so incredibly good looking. Although my friend was being prodded with a needle filled with anesthesia medicine, she managed to smile throughout the whole procedure. Note to self: A good looking doctor is just the distraction you need to get through the pain.

In the span of just one hour at the clinic, my friend was stitched up and given a prescription. In the same hour, I got caught taking a few pictures in the clinic, and was almost thrown out of the place. However, the funniest moment occurred while trying to communicate with the beautiful physician. Since I understand the most Spanish in our little group, the doctor began to ask me all the questions about my friend's injury. I heard him say, "How was your experience in the hospital?" For some reason, I thought this was a completely natural post-operation inquiry. It's obvious now that I don't go to hospitals very often. I asked my friend the doctor's question in English. She responded, "Amazing. Really great." The doctor looked completely puzzled. He repeated his question, miming to get his words across. I finally understood what he was asking; "How did her injury happen?" We all burst out laughing. She had just told him that the her injury happened in an amazing, really great way. What a mix-up that was! Even if he had asked about our overall experience at the clinic, it's still hilarious that my friend described her experience getting stitched up and prodded by a needle as "amazing." It's good to know I've got such positive people around me!