Knock on Wood

Whenever we move to a new location we slowly but surely learn our way around and find all of the new places we will need to visit regularly. Usually, we start with the grocery store. Here, we shop mainly at two large stores called Marjane and Aswaak Asalam which are only about five minutes from our house. Occasionally we shop at the small embassy commissary for things that we feel we can't live without (like bacon). We found all of these places within the first few days here.

After that, we find the school. We visited the school on our first day here, and I will do a whole post on that another time. I adore the kids' new school!

Next, we usually find a pediatrician. That was easy here. We see a nurse practitioner at the embassy health unit like all of the other embassy families here. They can treat 80% of the problems, and usually only send people out for things like injuries.

After that, we usually find the library, but that wasn't an option here, at least until I learn to speak French better than I currently do. It's hard to believe that at one point I was able to read Le Petit Prince and Camus' L'etranger in french! Now, I can barely order lunch meat at the deli counter. But I am calling a tutor tomorrow!

It is a good idea to find a hospital, especially one with an emergency room. I have been meaning to do this for a couple of months, being the worrier that I am. I am on my own so much, and I like to be prepared for everything.

Well, I can now check that one off my list. The nearest ER has been found, visited, patronized . . . you get the picture. Liam caught his thumb in a heavy metal door on our house today. He cried and cried, and it started to really swell up. I gave him Tylenol, iced it and called the health unit. They suggested that I take him to the ER. Morgan is gone right now, and this was one of my worst fears.

On Sunday, some of my friends from church, knowing that Morgan would be gone all week, offered to help. I told them that I thought I had everything taken care of, but that I would definitely call if something came up. Then, I said it. I actually said "hopefully nothing will come up. Usually we have some sort of health problem when he is gone." I jinxed myself (and poor Liam)! But I said "knock on wood" right after, and I even knocked on real wood, not particle board! I knocked on wood!!

(deep breath) Okay, I feel better now.

But everything worked out beautifully. I called my friends who live nearby, and their teenage son came over to take care of Braden and Lydia. Amina was leaving for the day, and offered to come with me and show me how to get there. She held Grayson while I tended to Liam. Liam was such a good boy during his x-rays, and he is fine -- no broken bones. And now I know how to get to the ER! Check.