What are we paying for? Take 3

Since about a week after my return from Oz in January I've had issues with digestion. Sometimes intermittent, sometimes consistent--but most always inferring with my sleep. I contacted our health insurance (BUPA--a company out of the UK) and was pre-approved for a "full health screening." This included a LONG list of things, most of which I did. I walked into Intermed hospital on a Friday afternoon to see if I could schedule a few things for the next day so that I wouldn't have to miss work. Shockingly I was scheduled for most everything on my list and was sent home with the prep for a colonoscopy (my first). 

On Saturday I had a gastroscopy AND a colonoscopy with sedation. I had labs taken--both urine and blood. I returned a week later for the well woman exam and to have a chest Xray. I'd already visited in January and had an ECG done (Normal!). All my tests came back normal. My scopes showed no ulcers or polyps, though the doctor did note some "mild erosions" in my stomach and diagnosed me with gastritis and prescribed three weeks of a medication twice a day. I'm wrapping that up today. 

All in all, I had the following procedures done: blood and urine tests to check liver and kidney functions; pap smear; chest X-ray; gastroscopy & colonoscopy w/sedation; and met with at least 3 different specialist doctors. I met with these doctors the day of my initial appointment, or the following week when test results were available. I did not have to schedule an appointment--rather I walked in on Saturday at 10 am and asked to see a doctor about my results and within 30 minutes I was sitting at his desk. I walked across the foyer and purchased my meds at the pharmacy located inside the hospital before departing. I had my chest X-ray as well as all test results in hard copy and in my possession. I was pleased with the doctors care and attention to my questions. 

I paid in tugrik for what totaled about $280. There were a couple items on the full health screening which I did not do (lung function test, and my last mammogram was less than a year ago) and I added the gastroscopy--it was not on the approved list but I felt it was important to do. I submitted my claim to BUPA and was reimbursed the $400 maximum benefit for a full health screening with that "service" checked off my benefits for this year. Now when does Insurance every seem to go in one's FAVOR? And without a fight of some sort? 

All that said, everything showed normal and I am still battling the same issue. I have deduced that it is either dietary or environmental toxin (OR BOTH) in nature. Tomorrow I will begin an 11 day detox to get my digestive system back to a healthy baseline and then I will begin to re-introduce foods to see if I can find the culprit(s). Unfortunately there is no way to escape most of my environmental toxins that surround me--from the air to the water. It is spring break and my spring cleaning begins tomorrow--April 1--for both my body and my home. I'm excited to see the transformation! 

I do also want to pause and thank my amazing sister, Fawn, for sharing her expertise and training in health & wellness to help me troubleshoot the issue at hand and for giving me the information and support to do what comes next. You can find her online via Facebook at Walking Naked Truth or on her Blog of the same name. She resides and works out of Boise, ID, so if you are in the area I hope you'll check out all of the incredible work she is doing around health and wellness in regards to ALL aspects of ourselves--Health, emotional, interpersonal, and so forth. Thanks, Sis! 

What are we paying for? Take 2

Sunrise at Secret History camp in mid February

Back at the end of 2016 I published a post titled "What are we paying for?" which discussed comparative health costs and care expectations between the U.S. and Mongolia. It has become my second most popular post of all time. I'd like to continue and expand that discussion here. In recent weeks I've had a few more experiences that I think are worth sharing and noting. 

First, I had lasik eye surgery done about 10 days ago. I went to THE revered eye clinic in town--Bolor Melmii. A fellow expat teacher during my first year at the elementary school had the surgery to great success. From then until now I had filed it away as something to look into. A good number of the Mongolians that work at my school have also been to this clinic for the surgery or have had a family member who has. My faith and belief in the place grew as I learned this. At the beginning of March I went and was tested to see if I was a good candidate for the surgery. After a battery of tests it was determined that I was. But as I'd only been wearing my glasses for a couple days (I'm a long time soft contact lens wearer) I had to continue wearing them and repeat the tests in two weeks. As I didn't want to be wearing glasses any longer than necessary, I pushed on another two weeks, returned, and yes, was qualified for the surgery to correct my near-sightedness. That always sounds confusing....as the surgery would make it so I could see distance without corrective lenses. They were very clear that I would need "readers" for reading and my computer screen as I was over 40 they reminded me. :)

About three years ago I graduated to bifocals. If I wasn't wearing my glasses, then with my contacts I had already been using readers so this was no big deal. 

The night before Zorig left for U.S.

So the surgery was done on March 15 and I've been seeing distance now, without corrective lenses, for 10 days. I still want to remove contacts at bedtime so I'm still adjusting and still certainly on the eye drop regime prescribed by my doctor. I believe she is the doc in the cover photo for the clinic. All the nurses and doctors I spoke with and worked with were Mongolian. The doctors speak English. Enji accompanied me on the day of the surgery to get me home as Zorig is currently in the U.S. pursuing business endeavors for the family cashmere company. 

It is extraordinary to wake up in the night or in the morning and be able to see across the room without first putting glasses on. Wow...what a gift!

That said, I don't know if I could do it again knowing what it feels like. Of course there is not any real pain, your eyeballs are numbed! But it is downright freaky to have your eyeballs worked on because you are watching the entire time. I couldn't get the image of Mel Gibson in "Conspiracy Theory" out of my mind. After numerous drops in your eyes, you lie down on a table facing up. They do one eye and then the other. The whole thing takes less than 10 minutes total. They use a small device to hold your eyelids permanently open (hence the Mel Gibson vision). They place some sort of barrier over the space and then open for access to your eye. Using a blade they cut a flap in your cornea. This doesn't hurt and it's fast, but there is a sensation and you know what is happening. Then you are told to hold still and stare at the green light in the machine over you. The light was a mix of colors--red, orange, green, and blue. It's bright and you do as you're told. Then you feel very cool air blowing on your eyeball while the laser is turned on and someone counts from 1 to 5. It's turned off briefly and then engages again for another 5 second burst. I felt the cool air and could smell the laser burning my cornea. I would say it was burning flesh...but it wasn't exactly flesh, so I'll go with burning membrane. It's very disconcerting to say the least. Once the laser is finished the second round then the doctor replaces the cornea flap and you watch while some sort of paddle is used to smooth the flap out and get it placed just so. Then they irrigate your eye with some fluid before releasing your eyelids to close. The process is then completed for the second eye.

Once both eyes were completed I was led into the holding area where I joined my fellow patients. There were four of us that day and I was number three of four. I think we were there about 30-40 minutes during which time the shock hit me. My eyes had started to burn a bit and it did hurt, though on a scale of 1 to 10 I'd put it only around a 5 or so. My body does this funny thing when having procedures done that are somewhat traumatic--my blood sugar plummets and I faint or pass out. This happened a few years ago when I first had an IUD implanted. I literally blacked out that time. This time I could feel it coming on--I felt nauseous first and then that strange wavy feeling throughout my body that was a mix of feeling hot and numb. I thought, Oh No....I'm going to faint! I was in a room with three others that seemed to speak no English. The doctor was only one room away, but I wanted to try and manage it. I grabbed on to the seat of my chair and breathed deep breaths and the waves flowed throughout me but I managed to NOT pass out. Shortly thereafter my "wounds" were checked and I was sent home with instructions (which Enji translated) and lots of eye drops. You cry A LOT in those first few hours. Shortly after i got home I began to feel much better. The burning had subsided and it was obvious I could already see better. I rested and then returned the following morning.

Celebrating Tsagaan Sar with friends

My cornea flaps had curled under just a tad (sometimes a minor complication that is easy to fix) so the doctor numbed my eyeballs again, lifted up and then replaced the flap again. I got to watch again as the paddle smoothed my cornea flap out and then the eye was irrigated. Process was repeated on eye number 2. Then I rested with eyes closed for 30 minutes after which time the doctor checked the wounds, all was good, and I was sent home for the weekend with three different kinds of eye drops to use on various intervals. I returned on Monday afternoon and all was as it should be. I'll return in another week for my next check up. 

I opted to do this procedure while in Mongolia because of the reduced cost. I had considered doing it in the U.S. before I departed but ran out of time and money. The cost here, including the testing, procedure and follow-up care, as well as the various taxi rides to get to the clinic, was just under $1200. From what I know about the procedure in the U.S. this was about half price--or rather I got both eyes corrected for the cost of one eye correction in the States. I can certainly see why medical tourism is a thing! Obviously I'm not here as a tourist but I did opt to have a medical procedure done here and not in my home country.

I've spent so much time on the lasik event thatI will save the other comparison post for another day. It will discuss having a full health screening done! Hope this post finds you doing well and enjoying Spring! We broke above 60 degrees Fahrenheit today which feels a bit early--but I'll happily take it. My battle for the next couple weeks will be trying to keep the dust out of my healing eyes!

Brilliant Engineering

I can't say I ever spent much time thinking about light switches until I moved to a country/continent that placed the bathroom light switch on the OUTSIDE of the bathroom. Yes, here in Mongolia and it seems much of Asia that bathroom switches are on the wall outside of the room. This was true in hotels I visited in China. I mean, come on! I want to soak in a tub and relax by candlelight, but once the water is lukewarm I want to flip on the switch and shower off. That is not possible here unless you text your partner in the other room to offer an assist by hitting the switch. So frustrating. And then there's also the chance that someone forgets or doesn't know you are IN the bathroom and while walking by flips the light OFF in an attempt to save electricity. Again--not a problem to yelp out that "hey, I'm in here," but really, WHAT is the point of the switch on the outside?

I guess you could say this plight of misplaced lavatory light switches has increasingly made me sensitive to the placement of light switches in general. In the US they are usually inside the room, just around on the wall, generally within a foot or 18 inches of the door frame. For the most part these are fairly easy to locate. However, on occasion one can find themselves feeling up the wall in the dark in search of the switch. 

I can undoubtedly say that Aussies have this situation engineered EXACTLY right. The light switch is ON the door frame and just near where the door knob or latch is. It's brilliant! Pun intended. 

Additionally, I was impressed by all the outlets in the kitchen and bathrooms. These are the outlets that are often used for additional electrical appliances--blow dryer, deep fryer, electric skillet, crockpot, etc. Where you find these outlets you will find both a switch to make the outlet HOT and then the outlet to plug into. I also thought this was a nifty safety feature. I observed my friends plugging their appliance into the outlet, then turning the outlet on; once finished cooking/using the appliance, they would turn the switch off. Again, I don't know why the rest of the world doesn't have switches and outlets such as these. My friend Kendall and her mother can confirm just how much I marveled at these devices. I really couldn't get over them. So practical, safe, and useful. 

So yes, why doesn't the rest of the world have electrical engineering like this? Talk about intuitive design and comfort of ease and access! No feeling around in the dark, no guessing where it might be. Just open the door and bam, there it is!

Thanks for entertaining this random and short blog post. This is one of the joys of travel--learning how different countries or places address a commonplace need. Who knew!

My First Trip to Oz

With my best girlfriend, Doogii

While many of my friends and family follow me on Facebook, there are a number that don't play that Facebook game and so for them I'm going to recap my Winter Break travels. I have two friends currently living in Australia and for that reason I decided to skip out of the cold and pollution and spend a couple of weeks in the land Down Under. To sum it up--I loved every minute and do hope to return and explore more of that vast landscape someday. 

Bondi Beach

I arrived and was collected by, get this, my BEST Mongolian girlfriend! Yes, she left me in UB this past June in pursuit of her Masters Degree in Oz. I support her academic endeavors and the hard work and perseverance she's put towards making a better future for her and her family. That said I have missed her terribly! We have stayed in touch via Facebook messenger and the occasional video chat. It was lovely to catch up in PERSON over food, drink, warm sand, and tons of sunshine. She lives in Sydney and so my trip began and ended there. We drank coffee together. We drank beers and watched HUGE fruit bats swarm overhead. We sipped red wine and reminisced about our Friday-after-work-drink dates in UB. We ate McDonald's and she showed me around her neighborhood. We spent an afternoon on Bondi Beach where I jumped waves with her daughter and we people watched and breathed in the clean, salty air, while soaking up some natural Vitamin D. 

Kendall comes to collect me

Then I transitioned into phase two of my trip. My friend Kendall who used to work at ASU came and collected me from Sydney. I spent Christmas eve and day with her and her mum in the Southern Highlands. This included watching "The Man from Snowy River" AND "Return to Snowy River" as we were preparing to make a road trip to.....yes, THE SNOWY MOUNTAINS. Kendall had never been and it was within our reach of this trip. 

Mob of kangaroos

We left her home the day after Christmas and made a one night stop over in Canberra where my sister Fawn had spent a year abroad as a teen and where one of her classmates still lived. Caroline took us out and about for the afternoon and evening. She drove us past the home where Fawn had lived and the school she had attended. I saw my first kangaroo--a mob of them actually--right there in Caroline's suburb. It was incredible! We drank wine and listening to stories of what my sister was like as a teenage exchange student. We spent the night there, met another classmate in the morning over breakfast, then we hit the road. After a stop off at the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve where we saw koalas and wallabies we drove on to Lake Jindabyne which is a gateway village to the Snowy Mountains. 

Overlooking Lake Jindabyne

We spent three nights at Panorama Jindabyne and used it as a home base for our explorations of the area. That first evening we just got settled in and enjoyed the view from the deck. Our first full day we spent at the Man from Snowy River Rodeo. We drank beer and ate sausage sandwiches and watched bronc and bull riders. It was Kendall's first rodeo, my first Australian rodeo. They did have an extra event that was new to me--it was a bronc riding event in which the rider had to ride on a saddle, had to have his feet in a certain position, along with his body, AND had to crack a whip all while staying on for at least 8 seconds. It was a great day spent sitting on the grass and under a not-too-hot sun at a small town rodeo event. We headed into town and enjoyed a nice meal before heading back to the hotel for a night of rest.

From the top of Mt. Kosciuszko

The next day we drove up to Thredbo--a ski town in the winter and in the summer a place where extreme mountain bikers ride the chairlift to then ride down the mountain. We explored the little village with a drizzle of rain coming down on us. Then we road the chairlift up to the top. From there I hiked the 6.5 kilometers to the top of Mt. Kosciuszko, the tallest mountain on the continent of Australia. Before you feel amazed...it's just 2,228 meters tall (7308 feet). However, the view from the top was very much worth it. It was the landscape that is seen in "The Man from Snowy River." Though it was mid summer there were still patches of snow at the top, and lots and lots of wind. One can certainly see what Jessica meant when she talks about the snowy mountains being still and beautiful one moment and trying to kill you in the next. On the hike down I listened to the soundtrack from the movie and it was inspiring. I loved being in a place that had meant so much to my childhood and youth. 

On the Chairlift at Thredbo

On the drive down the mountain we stopped off at the Wild Brumby distillery and tasted some of their unique schnapps. I highly recommend you try their Devil's Tongue if given the chance. It will surprise and delight! We saw an emu on that drive down and then headed into town for a nice steak for dinner. Australia has some damn fine beef!! And excellent lamb! Oh, and the scallops were yummy, and the fish 'n chips also. Yes, I ate well on this vacation. 

Fireworks from the Harbor Bridge

Then it was time to return to Kendall's home and then back into Sydney to make it in time to see the New Year's Eve fireworks over the harbor. And we did just that. I've never been at such a huge event before. I believe the news reported that there were more than 1.6 Million people in attendance. We opted to sit and wait in one of the free parks--we were on one of the Quays, just between the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. While the 13 minutes of fireworks was impressive, I have to say that it was being a part of such an orderly mob as we all departed the parks at 12:15 am. There was no pushing, no shoving, no yelling, no frustration of any kind that I observed. People were patient and respectful. People pushed baby strollers and elderly were amongst us. I couldn't identify all the languages I heard that day and night. So many. I have to say that it was my experience that Australia FELT like what I think America says it is--a melting pot of diversity. We were all intermingled. Honestly I didn't feel there was any majority race or culture within that park. It was awe-inspiring in that way.

Dunningham Reserve over Coogee Bay

Once we squished ourselves out through one of the few gates that enclosed our park for the event, we hiked up the streets and into the city to find a bus stop. I finally arrived back to my Airbnb around 1:45 am. After messaging with Enji and other family around the globe, I went to sleep shortly before 4 AM. New Years Day was a rest day. I did laundry--using a dryer for the first time since last Christmas at Dad's house in Michigan. And then I discovered I was just a 30 minute hike from Dunningham Reserve and Coogee Bay. It was a lovely first day to the New Year and I enjoyed being in the sunshine and breezes while exploring the area of Randwick and Coogee. 

At one of the wineries in Hunter Valley

On January 2nd Doogii and headed off on a Hunter Valley Wine Tasting tour. We met the bus at 7 AM in Sydney and returned around 6:30 PM after visiting four wineries and tasting about 30 different wines. The first place we visited was Capercaillie Winery which was fun. At some point they all run together and I didn't purchase anything to bring home. BUT it was a fun day just the same. 

Riding the Chairlift at the Zoo

Then on the 3rd we headed of to the Taronga Zoo by way of a ferry ride across the harbor. We saw all kinds of critters. Kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, giraffes, tigers, seals, wombats, walking sticks, elephants, and the list goes on and on. My favorite was the Tasmanian devil! We spent the whole day there and left when it was closing taking the chairlift (first time for both Doogii and her daughter to ride one!) down to the ferry dock. 

Final Sunrise, Coogee Beach

Then the 4th of January arrived and it was my last day. But I got up and watched my last sunrise first. This is my own personal tradition when traveling. I like to see the sunrise and relish the quiet of the day before the madness begins. I hiked back down to Coogee Beach and watched Beach Boot-campers working out and waited for the sun to grace the day. I ordered a coffee at a beachside kiosk and journaled while eavesdropping on the conversations of locals at the tables around me. 

Pic with the family before departure

In those last hours I met Doogii downtown and we did some souvenir shopping in downtown Sydney, picked up an item at the Sydney Apple store, and then had a last lunch at a Greek Restaurant. Yum! Then the family delivered me to the airport for my long journey back to the cold and polluted land of UB. 

It was one of my best vacations to-date. I loved every day and there was a nice mix of planned events as well as rest and relaxation time. I can't stress enough how nice it was to be visiting people that lived there and knew how to get around and make things happen. While last year was spent with my family in the USA for Christmas, this year was my solo girls trip to Oz. Two very different trips but both lovely and soul-affirming in their own and different ways. 

Alright. I think that's a wrap on the Winter Break. Soon Spring Break will be here but there is more to catch up on yet. I'll be back soon with another post. Happy New Year to each of you! 

Introducing Zigzag, aka Ziggy

**I am sorry for having been silent these past three months. There has been A LOT going on in my/our lives and though I will get started with this post about our furry feline I will soon be writing more regularly once again. 

Many of you will remember back in early 2015 when I had to say my first Hard Goodbye to Mona--a pet I'd had for over 10 years. Thankfully she went to good people and a comfortable home I knew well (longtime members of my book club). I knew she would be loved and cared for. I've had a few updates here and there and she's doing great. I have fond memories of her and know there will never be another cat like her. As most readers know, a pet becomes part of one's family and each of them, like each of us, has their own quirks and ways of being. Mona Minou was an awesome cat. 

After living here two years, it was time to have a feline back in my life. Here is the story of how Zigzag made her way to us and our home. 

One of my fellow American Wives lives north of UB in a town called Darkhan. It's about a three hour drive by car; a four hour ride by bus or train. I've visited Michelle a few times over my years here. Enji has accompanied a few times. 

Michelle and her family have a dog (Gilbert) and cat (George) and therefore when a kitten came scrambling into their yard, meowing and running towards them and then proceeded right into their house, they weren't quite sure what to do. This was back at the end of September and I'd told Enji that perhaps in October we could begin to hunt for a cat or kitten. I had watched a few stray kittens from our apartment window but wasn't sure about their ability to be domesticated. As I watched Michelle post updates on this curious and confident kitten I began to think that maybe she was the one meant for us and that the kitten stork has simply mis-delivered her. I messaged Michelle about us taking her and received an immediate reply--she and her family were coming to UB the very next weekend and could deliver the kitten which Michelle's daughter had named "Roser."

I opted to keep it a secret from the rest of the household, secretly procuring the necessary items--a carrier, a litter box and litter, dishes, and food. The male species, as you know, is not always so observant of household changes! There is a vet clinic with English speaking vets just a 7 minute walk from the apartment.

On Sunday afternoon, October 1st, our little bundle of fur arrived. Enji was completely clueless and I realized had probably never seen a litter box previously. I asked him in the moments before her arrival to see if there was anything new or unusual in the apartment. I had set up the litter box in the bathroom while he slept in. He went in, looked around, came out and asked if he was in trouble. I said NO....go back and see if there was anything new in there. He came out and said, "the dirt?" I guess litter could look like dirt to someone unfamiliar with cat litter. :)

Ziggy arrived and we were thrilled. She was an out-going and spunky little bundle despite having a minor disability. Either at birth or in her first couple of months she suffered an injury that damaged her left hip. She walked with a bit of a limp but did not seem to suffer from any pain. This is why I named her Zigzag, aka Ziggy for short. She zigzagged into our lives and in the beginning she moved with a hitch in her giddy-up as we say. 

We've now had her for five months. The limp is gone! She sometimes misjudges jumps and when she sits her left leg is often extended. She's been spayed and had her vaccinations. She's weighs in around 4 kilos and is a smallish cat. She runs around our apartment like a little maniac, jumping from the couch to the dining room table and around onto the kitchen counters. Just last night she spazzed out and knocked my favorite Smurf glass off the counter, smashing it into many pieces. She loves to play with little toy mice and she and Enji play a great game of Chase-Hide-n-Go-Seek. 

She has been great for Enji who is having his first real and true pet experience. He and his father had a dog when Enji was little, but it's been many years since that time and since he was old enough to actually contribute and care for the pet. I'm happy to have him play with the beast as she does have her fits of energy. And she DOES demand attention. If I'm typing on my laptop she often climbs up and lies just behind the screen. While she plays with Enji, she tends to sleep with me most nights. She's pretty great in that when it's lights-out in our apartment she goes to bed. When my alarm goes off in the morning, then she is up with me. I know she sleeps A LOT during the day while we are gone. But she's always right there at the door meowing with greetings when we arrive home in the afternoon or evening. 

So yes, please say hello to Zigzag! She brings much joy and fun to our home!