The health check part 2

hmm ... after the time that has lapsed since the health check this post might turn out to booorrrinnng.

So you've learnt about the urine sample, the dental check and the x-ray. We returned to Le Loi hospital on Thursday to complete the various checks. If you think in terms of an overall medical you could say that this is quite a thorough procedure. However, if you think about it in terms of the value of the various examinations, well ...

• height and weight recorded. Nothing much that you can bodgy up on that. We all have mass and span!
• ear nose and throat examination. Now this was an interesting one. We watched each other receive the examination which was over in about 60 seconds. It was a little bit more involved than 1. nose - do you have one? 2. both ears? 3. can you swallow? - but not much more. I think the essential thing was to check that they were all connected together and not blocked up!
• eyesight test. We really didn't know what to expect with this. Noone was asked whether they needed glasses to read. Some of us had to read the letters on the tenth line of the chart, others on the sixth. For the tenth line we are almost certain there was a letter in Russian, so what is the right response when reading the line? Skip the letter? Say what you think it is as an English letter? Anyway all of us appear to have 20/20 vision - including Annabel who wears contact lenses. And the health of our eyes seems fine - we can look straight ahead and to the left and right when we're asked to
• ECG. This was the real deal. However, it took place in the accident and emergency room, and around us were people who were in pain or suffering from various cuts and injuries, and it was a little disconcerting that once again we seemed to be using up resources that would be better given to the real patients.

Anyway - that was just about the end of the medical. We were asked to check all the records made - which was an interesting proposition what with the form being in Vietnamese - and they've now been sent off to ILA Vietnam in HCMC for use in applying for our work permits (along with four photos). There are some teachers who have been waiting for work permits for 15 months but we've been told that procedures and timelines have been tightened up. So stay tuned to hear whether I have to get a new visa in January instead!