And then there were four...

When Ben was transfered to Prague, he was the only one who automatically got set up with health care coverage. Within a very short time frame, he had his medical cards. And then there was one...

As you have all read, it took a mountain and the mole hill to get the kids on but as of September 14th they went live on their VZP coverage. And then there were three...

Now, in keeping with the theme of the title and the two former paragraphs one can now deduce that I have finally entered those hallowed file folders at VZP and am a card carrying member of the health care covered world. Will I leave it at that...would this be a blog entry of mine if I did? No my friends, I am going to take you on my journey through each circle of Hell and the choice to read on is with you :)

When last I wrote about my continuing quest, I was going to be having my physical which had been scheduled for September 17th. On the Friday that the kids were settled up, I came home and decided to look at my paperwork. Good thing I had! I thought I had a morning appointment - which would have been fine and good since I would inly have Logan to deal with - however, as I looked at my form more closely I saw that they had made it for 3pm and I would not be home in time to pick Alex up from school. As luck would have it, Nanny Hannah was able to come to my rescue and offered to pick Alex up from school. This wound up being even more helpful as later that evening Ben got a call from the States saying that he had to fly back on Monday and be there all week.

So Monday comes and Logan & I make the journey out to the Hospital arriving 10 minutes before my appointed time. I check in at Reception and they tell me to go take a seat in front of the Doctor's office. At 3pm sharp, the door opens and a very nice English speaking female doctor ushers us inside. I hand her the paperwork I had already filled out and she begins typing up her version of the VZP form. This takes a little bit because I have a long medical history with a few surgeries to explain, all my allergies, my chronic conditions, and of course the fun of going through each pregnancy. I was relieved to find out that all my blood work came back and showed I was very healthy. They used my stats from 2 weeks prior as to blood pressure, temp, and pulse rate. Then she simply asked me for my height & weight and we were done. She handed me all my paperwork, finished her flirting with Logan, and we headed downstairs to Best Health to hand them some paperwork. Everyone concurred that I was now good to go and we left the hospital.

When we arrived back at Hradcanska, it was only 4pm. Knowing that Hannah would be taking care of Alex, I decided to run to VZP with all my paperwork and get that moving so that I would have my card by week's end. A great idea on my part - too bad it did not work out that way.

We arrive at the office all happy and carefree, get our number out of the machine, and patiently wait for our turn. I am all smiles and Dobry Dens for everyone as we entered the office. I proudly take out my paperwork, the completed forms from the Doctor, the receipt I have received from Best Health for my lab work, and my passport. I am thrilled that I am close to the end now...and then my happy bubble was burst :(

They tell me that I do not have the proper receipts for my payments and that the doctor did not stamp my paperwork. Of course, it is not that clear cut but I will spare you the details of the 15 minute debate over what they were trying to tell me and let it suffice that I was able to figure it out all on my own. I left in a huff with nary a Dobry Den or a Nashledanou for anyone.

Now it appeared that I would have to make that wonderful trek back to the hospital and then go back to VZP once more before my quest would be completed. I swore that the following day would be the last time I would see any of these people for a long time.

However, with my newfound bad luck, this was not to be the case.

Since Ben was not home and I had no reason to go out on my own other than to do a bit of shopping, Hannah was given an early release and I had some quality time with the kids. Everything was going fine and we were all having a good time. Then the trouble began...

I brought Alex and Logan upstairs, put Logan in his crib, and started Alex's nighttime ritual. All of a sudden Alex said she did not feel well and promptly got sick...clutching her stomach, she then continued to be sick for the next 10 minutes. With Logan crying in the background, I took her temperature...102. Okay, into a nice cool bath she goes. Does this work? No - her temperature continues to climb and she starts babbling incoherently. I am beginning to lose it and send a Text Message to Ben. He immediately starts calling people back here to see if anyone can help me and I send a Text to Hannah.

Unfortunately, our first three attempts do not reach anyone and now I am really freaking out. Here I am late at night, in a country where I cannot speak the language, with one child who needs to be in a stroller, one who is in and out of consciousness and needs to be carried, and I only know how to get to the hospital by Public Transit...not something I can do on my own.

Thankfully Ben is finally able to reach one of his coworkers who represents the best of all worlds here in Prague - she speaks both English and Czech and she and her husband can bring us by car to the hospital. Thank God for them because the hospital at Motol does not have an English speaking emergency check in staff and with their assistance we were able to tell them Alex's symptoms, convert her 104.5 F temperature to Celsius, and get her immediate care.

It turned out that Alex had Acute Gastroenteritis and would need to stay home under watchful eyes for 48 hours. Crisis averted...barely. This was an eye-opener and a reality slap that we really are fish out of water here.

Hannah graciously offered to come help me out on Wednesday however my plans to head down to VZP were nipped in the bud. After 2 days Alex was feeling better but Logan now had a runny nose and slight fever. With a sick child and nothing but rain, I was not about to undertake any other trips.

The following Monday,Logan & I ran to the hospital and to get the proper receipt and the Doctor's stamp of approval. Both were obtained and I decided to also make the run to VZP since Hannah was once again picking Alex up from school. We got there, they accepted my paperwork, and told me to come back Thursday for my card. Finally, this would be over.

Thursday afternoon I packed Logan up in the stroller and we headed down to VZP to get my card...talk about excitement. The end was so close I could taste it and I would finally have that elusive insurance card in my wallet! We get there, take our number, patiently wait our turn, and go into the room - once again all smiles and ready to walk out never to return again...for at least 6 months.

"Oh", says the woman, "Did we say Thursday? We meant Friday. It takes 4 days to get the paperwork out to our specialist, have him approve it, and get it back. You'll need to come back tomorrow...or maybe Monday." Incredible!

Deciding to give them the extra day as a cushion...and give myself a break from yet another disappointment...I waited until Monday to go back again. Steeling myself against the possibility that the courier had lost the bag or that my paperwork had been denied or that the building would collapse and all files would be lost minutes before my arrival Logan and I got on the tram and headed to what would either be the end of this quest or the final straw in my deteriorating patience with this insane process.

Ticket obtained, we wait all of 10 minutes for our number, head into the office, and there waiting for my signatures are the final papers!!! 5 minutes later I leave the office with my very own VZP Health Insurance Card. It is over! I have made it! I am covered! Well, for 6 months...starting the following day (October 2nd)... and then I have to get it renewed but for the next 6 months I can be happy and never set foot in that office and not even think about the deranged view of Customer Service, stamped approvals, or 30 trips back and forth that it took to get to this point.

And thus I can close this whole Journey into Hell with this simple phrase:

And then there were four...

New Sunday Tradition

Let me just start off by saying that this really should be a 'Ben Entry' but since he has not gotten around to it, I will share his other new hobby here in Prague...the Beer Jug.

Something that is quite remarkable about Prague is that there is no Container Law here. As soon as you feel up to drinking in public, it's a go. College students, Bachelor Party members, and Revelers alike can be found at any hour of the day walking down the street with an open beer in hand. The same can be said for rolling and smoking your own 'funny cigarettes' but that is another tale for another day...

Back to the Beer Jug. Apparently it is a traditional as old as time itself to enjoy a good beer (pivo) whenever, wherever, and in whatever quantity you see fit... and we are not one to shun a Country's tradition just because it differs from our own :)

A little history...Vasil Bilak (no hero to the Czech people as he fought for the 'rape of Czechoslovakia) said it all with his famous quote "Beer is bread to the Czechs!" No other nation on this planet consumes more beer than the Czech Republic - this is a known fact that cannot be denied - and they are quite proud of their history of creation, quality, and consumption.

Thus said, it is of no surprise that it was once the chore of all little boys and girls to trot over to the closest pub with the Family Beer Jug, have it filled, and bring it home to their waiting parents.

Since neither Alex or Logan can undertake this endeavor quite yet, it has become a Sunday tradition for Ben to head over to the restaurant across the street and get our own beer jug filled. Our silver pitcher holds 4 1/2 pivos and it costs less than sitting in the establishment and using their staff and glassware. This last weekend the bartender tried in vain to get 5 glasses into the jug but it just was not happening so he handed Ben the 1/2 glass remaining and let him finish it off before heading home.

The only issue we seem to have is that they cannot make up their minds as to what they should be charging us...sometimes it is 87 cz and other times it is 112 cz. We are not sure if they are giving us different beer each time - which would cause the price difference - but either way, we are getting close to 5 beers for between $4.35 and $6 USD, can go over for unlimited refills, and do not have to deal with any of the nuisances of drinking out! There are only two things that would make Ben happier in regard to this new hobby...a lift in our building (8 flights can be pretty daunting after a pitcher) and a Larger Beer Jug!

The Stair Master

Yes - it is true. Yet another milestone has been reached by Logan. This is usually one that that is cheered and feared with equal value since it opens up an entire new world of travel for the child, and a whole new realm of possible injuries to deal with for the parent.

I remember when Alex reached this milestone...we were so happy and proud of her new ability to climb up a straight flight of stairs to reach the second floor. She would then check out the loft and then move on to her room where a whole new batch of toys awaited her. She did this at a pretty early age and it was fun to follow her up and see her amazement when she looked down on the living room. There was not any fear or trepidation on our part - she moved like a locomotive and was very sure footed.

With Logan, I find that I am not enjoying this new ability as much and I have to run to the stairs as soon as I hear anything that signifies his upward bound travel plans.

Here are the differences:

With Alex, we had a straight shot staircase. 13 steps, wide planking, and everything was wood. If she fell, she had a decent chance of sliding down and landing on the carpet at the bottom thus escaping major head trauma. She also would only try to take a toy with her once in a while, she would never stop once she got going, and she was not put off by having someone behind her.

With Logan, we have a curved staircase. 20 steps, narrow to wide fanned planking, and a combo of wood, cement, and wrought iron rails. If he falls, he will most likely bounce off of every step hitting miscellaneous construction materials along the way and unceremoniously dumping himself onto a marble floor. Logan seems to think that this is no big deal unless he has at least one toy in hand...usually two, likes to take breaks along the way to check out the scenery below...usually trying to sit down as well which does not end well, and absolutely hates the idea of someone being close behind him. Big difference.

Oh well, fears aside, we are truly excited that he has learned to do this and on such a difficult platform to boot!

Evil Looks

Strange title I am sure, but I am not being paranoid about this one. Every time I take my kids out into the public arena, I am greeted with Evil Looks.

At first, I thought it might be because we stand out like sore thumbs with the English but that is not it. Apparently, I am a bad mother. Let me explain...

Since coming to Prague I noticed the drastic difference in Dressing Styles. Of course, I understood this since a) this is not America b) the country is really only 5 years young as being open to Western Culture and c) I remember that back in the 80's, Japan had just embraced the 60's and were getting a kick out of having Levi's and Wrangler's available, listened to the Beatles and the Monkees, and were into all the psychedelic trends that I thankfully missed out on...so I applied that knowledge of being 20 years behind as the norm.

Now, I could go on about the fact that everything old is new again - which was the up and coming fashion trend back home as well - but that would be going off track of the real issue...which is weather related.

At home, we are used to 'dressing for the season'. We are not always the smartest people in the world...sometimes we give into fashion instead of common sense, but the majority are usually in the ballpark of what they should be wearing within say, 5-10 degrees.

Here, as soon as it falls under 20Degrees Celsius (68 for all you Fahrenheiter's), one should immediately start dressing your children as if they are undertaking an Arctic Expedition. This indeed includes the following articles of clothing: Layers of tops, tights & socks, fuzzy lined footwear, heavy coats, scarfs, hats, and mittens. If you do not prepare your child for the outdoors in this manner, you are a complete idiot and a definite bad mother.

At home, this type of weather would still allow for shorts on a bright and sunny day, short sleeves, and a light-weight jacket.

I have realized that it has not been much above 17.5 (63) so the shorts and t-shirts have been put away. Instead my kids have been in fleece lined sweats or jeans, long-sleeved shirts - usually with a zippered sweater or hoodie, and then a light-weight coat (Alex) or a blanket (Logan). I thought this was acceptable...the kids were not complaining about being too hot or too cold and no one has come down with pneumonia or bronchitis.

However, every day we get on a tram or wait in the Metro or just walk through the parks we are greeted by Little Nanooks and the Evil Looks.

Boy - I cannot wait to see how the kids are dressed in true winter. All I can imagine are babies looking like Maggie Simpson in her star suit and the older kids looking like Ralphie's little brother in A Christmas Story :)

Since moving to Prague I have not been able to focus on my automotive hobby. Mainly since we don't have a car over here. So I started taking photos as a hobby and creative outlet. The city here is beautiful and the kids are always great subjects. So here are a few of my favorite photos that I have touched up or added some artistic points to. (Pictures)