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Stuffs to prepare for the delivery day and hospital stay

First of all, documents:

  1. Passport, ID
  2. Family book
  3. Social security card (Carte Vitale) and complementary health insurance (mutuelle)
  4. Residence permit (carte de sejour)
  5. Blood type card (carte de groupe sanguin)
  6. Echographies, medical results
  7. Forms to be sent to social security for the baby (to be added under your social security)

 

Secondly, stuffs for the baby:

Stuffs to prepare for baby

The delivery day                                           The following days

  1. One body                                                           Six
  2. One pajama                                                      Six
  3. One sweater                                                    Four
  4. One hat                                                              Two
  5. One sleeping bag
  6.                                                                                 One bag of diapers (2-5 kg)
  7.                                                                                 One bag of cotton pads
  8.                                                                                 One thermometer

+ socks + comforter                                      + socks + comforter

.                                                                                + thermometer for bath

.                                                                                + clothes for leaving

 

Thirdly, stuffs for the mom:

 

Stuffs to prepare for mom on the delivery day

The delivery day                                           The following days

  1. Water spray
  2.                                                                                 Sanitary napkin (night)
  3.                                                                                 Maternity disposable briefs

+ nightwear                                                       + things for the restroom

 

Based on what’s available in the hospital, different hospitals ask for different things.   The list I described above is from my hospital (CHU Grenoble).

 

Lastly, some additional stuffs that I prepared:

Additional stuffs for the stay in the hospital

  1. Cream for nipples (for breastfeeding)
  2. Cotton breast pads (for breastfeeding)
  3. Antispasmodic drugs to deal with contractions (to tell if it’s labor)
  4. Dry shampoo

 

Yes quite a lot of stuffs!  And there are more for the home… I probably need to write another blog 😉

 

X

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8 classes of preparation for the childbirth – one benefit of being pregnant in France

Comparing to most other European countries, France has a higher birth rate.  This is partly due to the maternity benefits that French families are enjoying.  Social security covers all the cost beginning from the 6th month of pregnancy (unless you choose private hospitals/clinics). Besides that, pregnant women get one time free dental examination, and 8 lessons of preparation for the childbirth, which is the focus of this post.

I just finished all the 8 lessons earlier this week!  In my case, my sage-femme (midwife) in the hospital referred me to this SF liberal who gives lessons (most importantly, she speaks English).  It’s a one-on-one class.  I don’t know if it’s always like this in Grenoble, or it’s because I don’t speak French.  Each class is one hour.  The first class, or meeting, was for the SF to gather information of us, and to schedule the other 7 classes.  I had two classes every week.  The topics were:

  • When to go to the hospital (for delivery), signs of the labor
  • Breastfeeding
  • What will happen in the hospital (on the delivery day), the process of labor
  • Breathing, exercises using the birthing ball
  • What can go wrong
  • Practice how to push
  • Life after the childbirth, the recovery, what will my body be like

Of course, we also discussed the questions and concerns that I had.  For example, she also helped me to look through the list of things to prepare for the delivery day (I will talk about the list in another post).  One hour is actually very short.  We often finish before we notice 🙂

I think the classes are very helpful, because she’s familiar with that hospital, and she can explain everything to me in English!  Before the classes, I knew nothing, and I was a little scared.  Especially that there’s the language barrier… what if I could not understand them, and I did not know what to do… what if there’s a decision to be made…  Now I feel much better!  After finishing the classes and watching a video of the maternity at the hospital, I have an idea of the whole process, who will be there with me, and where it will take place.  In addition, now I have confidence that they will do the best for me, that they will keep the delivery as natural as possible, that they will only do what’s necessary, and that they will not push me to do the cesarean section just because of their personal schedules.

Again, the classes are covered by social security, so don’t miss out this benefit.    You will always learn something!  Of course, it will be better if the husband can be there as well, especially for the exercises using the birthing ball.  The SF is right – it makes a bit difference if the husband hears things from other people.

X

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An annual light show presented by the synchronized fireflies in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, USA

The warm wind reminds me that it’s almost the time to reserve tickets for a special light show in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.   This show is presented by small insects that all of you are familiar with – fireflies.  I guess everybody has good memories of pointing out fireflies in the backyards in summer evernings.  Those sudden light ups are like shooting stars… And if there are a lot of fireflies, they look like Christmas lights.

There is one special species of fireflies living in the smokies.  They are called synchronized fireflies!  As you can guess from the name, these fireflies flash together.  Isn’t that amazing?  How do they communicate to each other?  Why do they synchronize?  They are certainly not doing this show for us…  I heard it’s for their mating, but I am not sure why the synchronization is important.   There are information elsewhere, here I want to talk about my four years’ experience on watching their show – more specifically, how to get a ticket, what to prepare before going, how to get there, and what to expect to see.

So, the most important thing is to get a ticket!  The mating season of the fireflies lasts about two weeks.  Based on the weather, the National Park Service (NPS) will estimate and announce a 8/9 days window for the peak flashing (late May to mid June) of the synchronized fireflies.  The announcement is usually made a few days before April 30th.  Please check their website for the dates!  Before 2016, part of the tickets (“Advanced Tickets) were distributed online at 10am EST on April 30th.  And those tickets were gone within three minutes!   The rest of the tickets were called something like “day before tickets” (you get it today and go tomorrow), and were available through phone calls on a first-come-first-serve basis.  I have had success with both methods.  The key was to be prepared!  No waste of one second.  I could share some tips, but they have already changed the rules!  Since 2016, all the tickets are distributed via a lottery system! Basically, they open the lottery in the end of April, and close it in two/three days.  A week or so after the closing date, people will be notified of the lottery results.    Last year, I was lucky!  Since you can only choose two days in the application, my philosophy was to avoid the weekends so that the chance would be much higher.  If you are unlucky, there is another way to get to see the show – camping at Elkmont Campground!  From the campground, you can simply walk to the site to see the synchronized fireflies.  Remember that those camp sites are also filled quickly.  But don’t be too frustrated if you couldn’t get the date you want.  Check back often in case there’s cancelation.

Now let’s come back to the “normal” tickets.  I haven’t told you that the tickets are actually parking tickets!  Most of the tickets are for standard cars, and up to six people are allowed for one car.  There are a few tickets for busses, which can take more people.  You need to drive to Sugarland Visitor Center.  There will be officers doing traffic control and ticket admission.   Only the cars with tickets are allowed to park at the visitor center.  One car one ticket (the confirmation email that NPS sends out), and the ticket holder must be in the car.  The officer will count people in the car, and give a trolley ticket to each person.  After parking the car, you get into the line (there’ll be a line, a long line) for the trolley.  You need the trolley ticket and 1$ to board the trolley.  I think the trolley starts to take people to the Elkmont area from 7-ish.  Except for campers, no private car can access the Elkmont area during the show days (the 8/9 days for the synchronized fireflies).

The trolleys will take you to the Elkmont area.  From there, just follow the crowd.  At the entrance, you will be given a handout introducing the synchronized fireflies.  You can also get a piece of red cellophane and a rubber band to cover your flashlight/phone.  This is very important, as the white light will disturb and confuse the fireflies!  You are there to see the show, not to be part of it.

Since it’s early June, the sky does not get dark until 9pm.  You will have plenty of time hanging around and looking for a good spot.  You probably want to take a light and foldable chair with you 🙂  Not a bad idea to have a picnic there.

You sit down, and wonder what the show will be like… While the sky gets darker and darker, you see more and more white dots flashing (somehow yellow in photos).  At the beginning, they are not synchronized.  But as the show proceeds to peak time, you will see a wave of flashing.  I mean, not all the fireflies are synchronized to one rhythm.  It’s more like: this region of fireflies synchronized to this rhythm, and that region of fireflies synchronized to that rhythm.  Another thing is that those fireflies have different levels of performance in the 8/9 days window.  I have seen the light show six times (once or twice a year), and I can tell there’s clearly a difference (sometimes a big difference)!  Nevertheless, it’s always an incredible experience.

Being immersed in flashings, you will forget about the time!  And soon you realize that people are leaving.  When you get back to the entrance (where the trolley drops you), there’s a long long line.  We have once waited for more than an hour.  So, might be a good idea to slowly move towards the entrance between 10 and 10:30.

Lastly, I just want to say that be nice to the fireflies, and be nice to people.  Don’t do things that you don’t want other people do to you.  Pay attention to your flashlight and phone!

 

X

 

 

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Bryce Canyon National Park – the unforgettable starry night

Bryce Canyon National Park was the last stop in our Grand Circle trip.  Since we spent three days around Kanab (for The Wave lottery), and we needed to drive 6 hours to Grand Junction, we didn’t have much time in Bryce – only one night and one morning!

When we arrived at Bryce, it’s almost the sunset time.  I think we went to the sunrise point for the sunset (counterintuitive).  Unfortunately, it was a bit cloudy that day.  Thinking about our whole Grand Circle trip, we seemed to have better luck for sunrise than sunset.  Anyways, we were still impressed by the hoodoos!

Shortly after the sunset, we went to our hotel Best Western Plus Ruby’s Inn (right outside of the park).  The hotel is like a big resort.  The lobby is Mountain style, and has a lot to offer.  Still, the best part is its easy access to the park!

For the first time in our Grand Circle trip, we went out to do star gazing.  And truly, Bryce is the best place that I have been for stars.  The clouds were all gone, and the starry night sky is breathtaking! I  have never seen so many stars before!  I felt my body was immersed in stars.  I felt lost… it seemed more difficult to tell constellations with so many stars.  To me, who has loved star gazing for two decades, that place was like heaven!

I took out my camera, and tried a few long exposures.  I have always wanted to shoot the Milky Way and the star trails!  It’s cold and windy up there, but I was excited.  If I was more crazy, I should have gone down the canyon and took the shots on one of those hiking trails so that I could have hoodoos in the foreground… Next time!

Since we planned to see sunrise, and we would have long driving the following day, we went back to the hotel to catch some sleep.  Then, the second day we went into Bryce for the third time!  I forgot where exactly we went to see the sunrise… probably the Inspiration Point?  Again, it was a bit cloudy… but better than the previous day.  Where did the clouds come from?  It was clear in the night!  We were among the early ones, and could find a good place to see the amphitheater.  Just like those hoodoos – we were waiting quietly.   It also felt like we were waiting for a show.  It’s a amphitheater, isn’t it?  When the light shined upon the hoodoos, they became alive.  So, at one moment, this part of the amphitheater was playing; and at another moment, the other part of the amphitheater became active.   With sunlight, the color of stones are so glorious – burning orange.  In my eyes, that color felt young and full of energy!

We then drove back to the sunset point, and did about one hour’s hiking on the Navajo Loop Trail.  It was a nice morning hike in the sunshine and cool air – very different from other hikes we did earlier.  Getting close to the hoodoos also allowed us to admire those creatures in another angle.  We were very pleased to finish our Grand Circle trip with such a relaxing hike.

 

X

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Living in France: got to be able to speak some French

My first experience of the French culture was the 11 days in Ottawa, Canada.  Both English and French are official languages there, so it was not difficult.  I could just read the English signs, and talk to people in English.  However, when I went to Montréal, it’s a totally different world!   Everything is only in French.  I couldn’t figure out how to use the metro.  And when I asked people for directions, the answer I got was in French.  Luckily the body language always works in a similar way.

Now I am in France.  I am not a tourist.  I am living here.

The Paris airport is not a problem – they even show Chinese and Japanese.  But the moment I stepped onto the ground of Grenoble, I knew things were different.  Fortunately, my husband has been to Grenoble several times (for research work), so he knew how to use the tram.

We have had difficulties in the supermarket.  We did not know the French words for body lotion… We bought the wrong meat for cooking… We couldn’t understand the casher at all…  But still, the hospital has been a bigger challenge.  At the beginning, I could not even respond to the question asking for my last name.  Scheduling an appointment has never been easy for us!  The other thing is that even the websites are only in French… (you would think that the internet might be more international, wouldn’t you?)

My conclusion is that in France looking for an English-speaking person is as difficult as looking for a Chinese-speaking person.

Some people say that French people don’t like to speak English, that they are rude.  I don’t agree.  I feel French people are quite nice, and they are trying hard to communicate with me.  It’s just that they cannot speak English, like I cannot speak French.  However, I cannot deny that I am a little surprised by the fact that the majority of population in this western country do not understand English (at all).  I thought English was widely used in the whole Europe.  Or maybe France is the exception?  I heard Finnish people spoke English.

Such a non-English environment provides the best opportunities to learn French!  We learned some basics on Duolingo (a very nice app).  But that’s still far from enough.  I found listening and speaking extremely difficult.  Even if I know every single word in the sentence, connecting all the words together sounds quite different.  Now we know we are moving to Finland soon, so we have less motivation to learn French…  However, if we ever return to France, I want to be able to speak French!

 

X

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Life in Grenoble – about the initial settling down and necessarities

We have been living in Grenoble for almost four months now.  During most of the time, we are distracted by paperwork and by my pregnancy.  But still, we are learning and enjoying living here, every single day.  Hopefully, our experience will help people who are coming to Grenoble.

Housing.  Not much that I can talk about, because we live in a friend’s friend’s house.  We occupy the so called basement – it’s actually the ground floor, or first floor.  The first floor in France equals the second floor in USA.  We pay a rent, which includes utilities, so I cannot tell you much about the utility companies either.  For us, sharing a house with the landlord is the best choice, because we knew we wouldn’t be here for long.  Plus, I have always enjoyed this mode of housing in USA!  I have had great landlords/friends!  We fell in love with the current house at the first sight.  Our rooms are spacious and decorated with art.  We later found out that our landlords, a retired French couple, are writer and artist!

Food.  Big supermarkets (hypermarché) are out of the city center, but there are many smaller supermarkets in every neighborhood.  Common brands are: Casino, Carrefour City, Carrefour market, Simply, and Monoprix.  We go to Simply most, because there are two of them close to our home.  I find Simply is also cheaper than the other supermarkets.  But more importantly, Simply seems to have better selections of vegetables.  We like the Chinese cabbage and white radish (daikon) there!  Most vegetables one finds in the supermarkets in USA are available here in Grenoble.   Other than from supermarkets, one can buy vegetables and fruits (and even seafood) in farmers’ market.  These markets have designated locations.  Some have specific days when they’re there.  For example, there is a small market close to our home.  I noticed that vendor #1 is there almost everyday, but vendor #2, who has more selections, is only there during the weekends.  We like to get Fuji apples from vendor #2.  The vegetables in these markets tend to be fresher.  If you are from Asia, then you have to check out the Asian supermarket called Le Carré Asiatique.  They have good sushi rice, and stuffs like cooking wine, soy sauce, noodles…  There are also frozen food: raw shrimps, hot pot stuffs (fish balls, thin-sliced meat, etc.), and dumpings.  Not much vegetables though.  No meat.  They have prepared food, but it’s a bit sweet.  We always take bus C5 to go there.  My husband has to carry 10kg of rice (€38), every month.  Oh, to get Japanese stuffs, Ozenya in the downtown is also a good choice.  Everything is imported from Japan, so don’t be surprised by the price.

Banks.  We are using Society Générale, because it’s only five minutes away from our home.  To open an account, they ask for the work contract, proof of residence (a water bill, etc.) and documents that show you are living in France legally.  They will give you an IBAN number, which is used for getting salary and paying for the health insurance (mutuelle).  If you want, you can get a credit card (actually more like a debit card!) for a small fee, ~ €5 per month.  Yes, banks in France will charge you for services!  Cash back? Rewards? Forget about it.  The other thing annoys us is that they set a low spending/withdrawing limit for us.  I am already used to getting refused with online shopping, and I even experienced getting declined in supermarkets.  So, I always bring my US credit card with me.  One more point, Discover card is not accepted in France (unfortunately).  Other cards seem to be fine.

Transportation.  One thing I love about Grenoble is the tram system.  I simply love trams!  They are clean, fast, and cute.  Every tram station has a vending machine for tickets.  In 2017, one ticket is €1.5, ten tickets are €14, and thirty tickets are €39.  One ticket is valid for an hour, so you can transfer, or you can even do a round trip if time allows.  At the tram station, there are tickets validating stands.  You can insert the ticket, and the machine will print out the time of validation.  There’s nobody checking tickets.  However, they do random checks on the trams.  I heard the fine was €400!  Anyways, please buy tickets. The same tickets can also be used on buses.  You validate the ticket when you board the bus.  The same one hour rule applies as well.  If the ticket is validated for a second time within an hour, the machine will only print a * mark after the previous validation.  We have not tried transferring between trams and busses, yet.  Nowadays, my husband is using the APP (Tag &a Pass) for the transportation.  He just needs to scan the QR code on the validation stands.  Each trip is €1.4, but the total amount tops at €59 per month.  There are other monthly plans/passes as well.  One thing I want to mention is that sometimes the trams and busses are free to encourage people to use public transportation.  This happens when the air condition is bad!  Last winter, there were more than ten free days.  The information is broadcasted in tram stations, on trams and on their website.  The other thing is that you can use APP (MetroMobilite) to check the time of trams and busses.  They are pretty much on time!  The train station (also a bus terminal for long distance buses), Gare de Grenoble, is located close to the downtown.  It is served by tram A & B.  One can go to Paris in just three hours by a TGV.

Cell phones.  Common carriers are Free, SFR, and Orange.  All of them can be found in downtown.  Free seems to be the cheapest, but the coverage is not as good.  For us, we don’t make phone calls, because we don’t speak French!  Plus, we spend most of time in places covered by wifi.  So we decided to try the €2 plan first, which includes 100 min calling and 50 MB data.  Looks like it’s enough for us.  In some places, there’s Free wifi network.

Laundry.  There are laundry shops (laverie) in the neighborhood.  Washing and drying take about an hour, and cost ~€5 (for a small load).  I usually do laundry by hand, but for big things such as bed sheets I go to shops.  If you have washer and dryer at home, that’s great.  If not, it’s not the end of world.  I saw many people went to laundry shops.

Electronics.  One necessary thing is the hair dryer.  It is not found in small supermarkets.  We bought one in Darty.  For computer kind of stuffs, Fnac is the place to go.

Clothes.  We are not that into fashion, especially that I am pregnant.  For the price, one may want to check out Kiabi and H&M.  For styles, there are Galleries Lafayette and many brand shops in the downtown.  Oh by the way, the center of the downtown is around Victor Hugo and Maison de Tourism.  Tram A and B go through the downtown.  For babies, one big store is called Autour de Bebe.

Post office.  It is often necessary to use mails.  For example, to cancel the health insurance (mutuelle), you must write to the company, and you must use a special service that gives you a proof of the delivery (lettre recommandée avec avis de réception).  To do that, there’s a form (yellow color) where you write down the recipent’s address and yours.  Stamps are sold on self-service machines.  Weight the letter on the scale, select the type of service, pay (by card or coins), and then you will get the stamp.  If it’s special service, then hand the letter to the counter.  Otherwise, go outside to find the mail box, and deposit the letter (pay attention to which box to use for the correct destination).

These should be enough for the beginning.  I will update if I come up with something else.

 

X

 

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White Pocket – favorite in our Grand Circle trip

I don’t remember how I knew about The Wave, but I was immediately attracted.  Every day, only twenty people can go into that secret place.  Ten permits are given out through the online lottery, and the other ten are drawn in the visitor center in Kanab.  Out of our eight days’ travel, I decided to try three days.  And if we could get the permit, we would give up any other plans!  In fact, because of The Wave, we rented a 4WD jeep instead of a standard car.

Comparing to The Wave, White Pocket has some similar features, but is probably not as carefully crafted (could be intentional though!) by nature.  Nevertheless, White Pocket is White Pocket – it has some unique features, and it does not require special permit.  We were afraid that we would not be able to go to The Wave, so we decided to try White Pocket first!  But to be honest, later I thought that even if we could see The Wave, White Pocket would still be as worthy!  White Pocket is not a second choice or a backup.  It’s the best choice we made in our Grand Circle trip!

We drove from Page with 3/4 tank of fuel.  We thought there would be gas stand on the way, but, we were wrong!  So we have been worrying about running out of gas for the whole day!!!  The route to White Pocket can be found online.  It’s not very difficult, but it’s nothing like following google map.  We have had doubts a couple of times.  And we actually got lost once!  The road condition was not too bad that day (be sure to check with the visitor center in Kanab).  However, there’s one deep ditch we had to cross.  We stopped in front of the ditch, and was checking out the condition.  Interestingly, there’s another jeep parked not far away.  One old man, who perhaps has sensed our hesitation, said to us that our jeep should be able to do it.  With that encouragement, we jumped into our car.  My husband switched it to 4WD.  Slowly and carefully, he did it!  (I don’t think I can do it.)

Shortly after crossing the ditch, we passed a small parking lot – several cars parked there.  It looks like a trailhead.  Later we knew that it’s the trailhead for The Wave!  There are restrooms, and even bottled water, which are left there to save people’s lives!  Because The Wave requires more than 3 hrs’s hiking one way.  No wonder that people started their trips early when it’s cooler.  Anyway, we kept driving to our destination.  For White Pocket, the driving is long ~ 3hrs, but no hiking.

As I said, our gas was low.  Therefore, we turned off the AC, and left the windows open.  The road is rocky, but not as sandy as we thought…  We have met only one car… If we ran out of gas, we would not be able to get any help!  I have never been to a place as wild as this!  Oh, maybe the volcano island in Hawaii is comparable, but there seem to be more people around.  When we got closer to White Pocket, the road turned more sandy.  Our jeep got a small stuck once.  Overall we were lucky to have missed spots with deep sand.

Finally we reached White Pocket!  We saw a group of three were leaving.  They said us that it’s worth it, and it’s all yours now 🙂  Yes, after they left, we were the only human beings there.

Now it’s the difficult part of writing, because White Pocket is non-describable.  If I can only compare it with the volcano land in Hawaii, I would say that I can imagine and understand the volcano land, but I cannot imagine or understand the formation of White Pocket!  It’s like nothing else in this planet.  And of course, the feeling of being alone in this amazing place was … amazing!

My photos show some views of White Pocket, but being inside of it is totally different.  White Pocket truly awaits you to discover with your own eyes.

That day, it’s the thunderstorm dragged us out of White Pocket… otherwise it’s difficult to notice the time!

 

X

 

 

 

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Declaration of pregnancy and CAF

CAF stands for caisses d’allocations familiales, and it belongs to social security system.  Declaration of pregnancy to CAF (and to the health insurance company if you have mutuelle) is necessary.  Theoretically it needs to be done before 14 weeks, but sometimes it’s just impossible.   For me, it’s almost 25 weeks.  The form, so called “nous attendez un enfant”, was from the sage femme or midwife.   She wrote the DDG and signed it.  Then I filled the personal information including the temporary social security number, and mailed the form to CAF.  (BTW, two copies of the form mailed to CAF, and one copy mailed to the health insurance company.)  Actually the distance from our home to CAF and to La Poste is similar.  But I suppose going through La Poste is faster than making a RDV (appointment).

About two weeks after mailing out the form, we got our CAF number.  And since then, our “conversation” with CAF has been going on and on.  They have requested these information/documents in separate mails:   (1) more personal information (declaration de situation); (2) birth certificate; (3) declaration of income in 2015; (4) residence permit (sejour).  I always try to respond as soon as I can, then there’s long wait.  Now I am still waiting for them to process the documents I sent three weeks ago, and I don’t know what they will ask for next time.  Anyway, it’s interesting.

CAF is slow, but who is not?  At least CAF helps people.  It gives financial help to families in need.  Students without income can get assistance on housing (Aides au lodgment).  And in the case of pregnancy, CAF gives “prime a la naissance” to families to welcome their babies, and babies can get monthly allowance afterwards!  These benefits are granted and calculated based on the situation of the family.  We are not expecting anything, because we are very grateful for the health insurance already.

 

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Antelope Canyon – magic of light

For our Grand Circle trip, Antelope Canyon is a must see in the list.  It is the heaven for photographers!  The access to the canyon is restricted, because it is in the Navajo Nation.  Only guided tours are allowed to enter Antelope Canyon.  Thinking that it’s so popular, we booked our tours one and a half months earlier.  Still, the Photographer’s tour was already fully booked.  So we just took the Sightseer’s tour for the Upper Antelope Canyon, which was $50 each.  We could pick a good time – 11:30 to 1:10, when the sun is up high in the sky.

It was a sunny day!  We arrived at the tour company 30 min before the tour, and got the tickets.  The tour trucks took us to the canyon.  Forgot how long it took, but it was not very long.  The tour trucks were open aired but with roofs.  You probably don’t expect to see clean and air-conditioned bus anyway.  In fact, the funky shaky tour truck made everybody even more excited!

Entering the canyon was like entering a magic land.  Outside – so bright so hot; but inside – so quite so mysterious.  With that perfect amount of sunlight – no more and no less – the rocks, in my eyes, looked like flowing water that stopped at some point in the past.  It seemed like time has stopped.  I guess I can’t find a way to describe my feeling…  I could feel that everybody was amazed.

Since the canyon is narrow, we had to keep moving.  There’s no time to look for the best angle and the best setting for photos.  On the way, we passed a few photography tour groups.  They are all with tripods and quietly waiting for us to pass by!

I wish I could have taken better photos!

 

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In France, Laboratory and Pharmacy are independent from Hospitals

Here is what I know about the healthcare system in France.  Everybody register with a family doctor – a généraliste.  In most cases, people go through the family doctor for treatments so that the cost will be properly reimbursed.  I heard it’s also easier to get an appointment with a specialist through the family doctor.  In the case of maternity, however, it’s not necessary to go through the family doctor.  We don’t have a family doctor, and we went directly to see a sage-femme (midwife).

People go to laboratories to do various tests and scans requested by doctors or other healthcare professionals.  There may or may not be laboratories in or close to the hospital.   Seems like laboratories are independent from hospitals.  People can have their own choices of laboratories to have the tests done.  In my case, the SF gives me a paper, which lists the blood test and urine test to be done.  She uses a hospital stamp, and also signs on the paper.  In the laboratory, I give that paper and my health insurance card to the register.  And then, they will take samples for the tests, and give me an instruction about how to get the results online.  By the way, they will confirm my birthday, because it’s the password to access the results online.

Similar to the laboratories, pharmacies are also independent from hospitals.  There are so many pharmacies around the city.  Just show them the prescription paper and the health insurance card.  Depends on the type of medicine, the reimbursement percentage varies.  I have had Fe and vitamin D supplement, which are 100% covered by social security and mutuelle.  In comparison, for the pain reliever (to take during the irregular contractions at home), only 15% is covered.

One important thing if you do not have the carte vitale yet.  After all, it takes months to get the carte vitale, even with best luck!  The temporary social security number on the health insurance card (from mutuelle company) should work as well!  But some people in the laboratories and pharmacies may not know that!  For me, the first visit to the laboratory took me more than half an hour to register.  Partly due to the language barrier, but mainly because she did not know about the temporary social security number.  At last I took out the form of Declaration of Pregnancy that I was about to mail to CAF, and somehow she believed in that form (filled by us) more than the health insurance card.  After that, my visit to the same laboratory has been easy and fast, although they still ask me whether I have the carte vitale every time I go.  Similar things also happened to me in a pharmacy.  People in one pharmacy insist to see the carte vitale.  So I went to a different pharmacy, where people (not all) there know what to do.

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