I made my first trip to the pharmacy today. You have to get practically everything related to medicine at the pharmacy, even if it doesn't require a prescription. I needed three things -- test strips for my glucometer (for which I had a prescription), something to relieve sinus pressure, and something for Sharkdog to help him calm down when he's nervous. It seems a little strange that you go to the same place to get medicine for yourself and for your dog, but that's the way it works.
I was all prepared to do this in German. Okay, so really I only had two sentences ready -- "Ich habe ein klein hund mit angst. Haben Sie homeopathic Medizin für meinen Hund?" I figured I could get by with gestures for the other two things. But I chickened out. I asked the lady if she spoke English and of course she did, so we did everything in English.
I did not, however, chicken out at the post office and confidently told the clerk, "Ich möchte eine Briefmarke," as I pointed to the place on the envelope where the stamp goes. I'm sure I looked like an idiot. Especially since I've spoken to this same clerk twice -- in English. And a moment later I had to revert to English to ask how long it would take for the delivery.
I also had my first haircut in Austria today. No one at the salon spoke English. When I walked in, a girl asked me to have a seat and I started trying to tell her what I wanted. That's when she explained to me (in German) that she only washes hair. I felt silly, but I've never had a shampoo-girl. I'm familiar with the concept, I've just never seen it in action. So she calls over the girl who is going to cut my hair and again I try to explain what I want. Fortunately, I also had pictures. I'm brave enough to go to a salon where no one speaks English, but only with backup. The rest of the hair-cutting experience was pretty much on par with experiences in the U.S. And when it came time to pay, I understood the girl when she told me the cost! I know it's a little thing, but it's still pretty exciting when you start to understand people.
Oh yeah, and there is one thing that I've found that you typically get in the pharmacy section in the U.S. but can find in grocery stores in Austria -- glucose tablets (for low blood sugar). And where can you find the glucose tablets in the grocery store? Why, in the candy aisle, of course. I always knew that glucose tablets were just candy posing as medical supplies -- probably so the manufacturer can charge more for them!
Monday, September 24, 2007
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3 comments:
No pictures today? I mean, you take pictures of EVERYTHING, but now you get a haircut which is actually a normal thing to take a picture of, and no picture. What gives?
Did you get the medicine for sharkdog? I think that he needs a good dose of prozac and he's nerves would calm down.
Christy - I considered it, but I decided it was too predictable. I've got to keep my readers on their toes! Actual, I figured I would get some photos in the next day or two, so I didn't bother the other day.
Candace - Yes, I did get some medicine for Sharkdog. It was pretty funny because the woman giving the instructions didn't speak much English. She said I could put it on his nose or in his mouth or on his paw. I guess I looked surprised when she mentioned his paw because she wanted to explain that he would lick it off his paw. But she didn't know the word for lick, so she just licked the back of her hand. Then she realized that she had just licked the back of her hand and how silly it looked! So she did it again. We all had a good laugh.
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