THINGS MEDICAL
...European preferential treatment of the "back door", more grief for kiwis! The 2 most terrifying things in a new country...the hairdresser and things medical. With two sick children, my mind today is on the latter. When I was a student in Switzerland I came down with a really bad throat infection and took myself off to the chemists for a rapid remedy. Not knowing the word for "throat" I pointed to my neck and said I had " a sore neck on the inside"...With the interest I attracted from everyone in the chemists I felt rather proud of my genius in international communication. Sadly my vowels weren't really quite up to United Nations standards and in fact, I had unwittingly said "cul" ( arse!!) instead of "cou" ( neck). However, ignorance is indeed a blissful state and I waited patiently for the chemist to return with a magic potion whilst everyone stared at me in total silence. She came back with a box of tablets which she...