News Detail
Some more differences between us and them!
Published on 14/3/2008
Welcome to France, have a nice day, but DO NOT expect anyone to answer a phone at lunchtime. The French take lunch VERY seriously, workers walk off site at 11:30 or noon, and won’t be back till 1pm or 1:30 – they will all be sitting down to an aperitif, followed by a 3 or 4 course lunch and a coffee and a fag! Don’t think the banks, offices or shops will be any different, the only real difference is they start half an hour later. All this means, check the time before you call, the whole restaurant stops, aghast when a mobile rings during lunch – the owner of the offending phone will be seen mouthing the word ‘Anglais’, and all the other diners will be nodding in comprehension. All this can be a bit frustrating but there are so many plus sides you can forgive the odd foible like lunches. The hospitals here are one of the big pluses, unfortunately I have had plenty of experience of them, so a couple of anecdotes will do – you can ask me all you like when you’re visiting houses with me. The first time I had to be admitted to hospital, I had turned up at the A E at just after 6pm, unable to put any weight on my ankle. The door was opened by a young lady who saw my problem and brought a wheelchair, she then guided me to radiology – as it turned out she was the radiologist!- the A E had been closed (except for emergencies). Young lady takes x-ray, calls consultant who arrives, nothing broken , but I need to stay overnight, by 6:30pm, I’m in bed with a nurse asking me if I’ve eaten. When I reply that I had planned lunch for later that evening she says, that’s OK, would I like red or white wine with my meal? Another opportunity to experience the French health system came when I had to visit my doctor due to a very irritating tickle at the base of my spine. When it turned out it was probably being caused by a cyst, I was sent straight to the x-ray unit in the local town. Less than an hour later and I was back with the doctor, with my x-rays, and he had confirmed I need to see the consultant as it would need an operation. He picks up the phone, calls the hospital in Poitiers, talks to the consultant, arranges an appointment for that afternoon – at 3pm, thus giving me and the consultant time for an unhurried lunch!. Arriving at the hospital, and waiting nearly 5 minutes before the consultant was free, the consultation lasted about 20 minutes and I was informed I needed an operation, this would be a minor op, but, because the wound had to heal naturally, the big downside was that a nurse would have to change the dressing every morning for about 6 weeks – the plus side was, I could have the operation whenever I wanted to. I decided to put it off, but a week or so later changed my mind as the tickle was driving me crazy, I called the consultant on a Thursday, he said, come and see him and the anesthetist on the Monday and he’d operate on the Friday! This all went swimmingly, but safely home I now had to organize a nurse, how simple was this? The first morning the nurse arrived, changed the dressing after I’d showered, arranged a time and place for the next morning – and then asked me if that was too early as it was a Sunday. For the next 6 weeks, the nurse would turn up and confirm a time and place for the following morning – fantastic!