Today was the day we were to drive south to the border of Vietnam for our medical examinations required for our visas. We can attest to the truth that American doctors are much different than Asian doctors! Wow we had an interesting day to say the least!
We started by having a chest X-ray to check our lungs. This was a blessing in disguise because we were able to check Becky’s lungs since she had been coughing. They were clear! The doctor asked Chris if he was pregnant! Ha! (look closely at Chris’ x-ray).
Then we had our blood drawn to test for AIDS and gave a urine sample in a container the size of a medicine cup. (Ladies, try producing a sample while using a squatty potty. Enough said.) After that, we each had an ultrasound. The doctor told me that I was skinny standing up, but I was fat when lying down. People in this country are very critical in making observations. In America, we would never call someone ‘fat’ to their face because it may offend them.
Finally, they performed an EKG (they spelt it ECG) the old fashioned way with clamps around our ankles (Becky felt like the bride of Frankenstein).
What a memorable experience. We all passed our medical exams just fine. After being poked, prodded, and invaded, we walked to the Vietnam border. It was so neat to be able to see another country right before your own eyes. You can see the bridge to Vietnam behind us.
We also walked the street market and brought back a little souvenir to remember this experience!