affordable healthcare?

On March 23, 2010 the Affordable Health Care Act became law. It made international news (before, during and after). CNN called it "Making History."

After watching a town hall meeting on the topic, I posted my thoughts. I still feel the same way.

This is all ancient history. Why am I bringing it up now? It's already gone in the win column and the world has moved on. Right?

I am bringing it up because I don't think the "reform" fixed anything and my husband I encountered the problems that persist.

When living in Cambodia, Kenyon went to a kick-boxing class. He didn't have the right equipment, but he wanted to try it out. He hurt his wrist. Months later it still hurt. Medical care is difficult to come by in the developing world and good care is often very expensive. Kenyon has health insurance, but it only covers emergency medical evacuation and catastrophic illness. My employer only covers my health insurance and we couldn't afford the alternative. The insurance world doesn't know how to deal with the whole "international" thing - frankly, they panic.With or without insurance, Kenyon needed an x-ray.

While in Kansas City we visited the KC Free Clinic. Why? Well, the clue is in it's name...it's free. We had to call a day ahead of time and wait on the phone for a long time, but free is all we could afford. The free clinic has it's limitations, for instance they don't have an x-ray machine. They referred us to the state run hospital.

Since we cannot prove residency in any US state right now based on their residency rules we were not eligible for medical financial assistance. When we were told the price to run an x-ray our jaws dropped. Did we not mention we just came from the free clinic? Do you think we would have gone there if we had another choice?

Kenyon did not get an x-ray. His wrist still hurts.

I thought health care problem was fixed? Isn't that what all the hype was about? Am I missing something? Because from where I am sitting, I still see problems and would certainly not call health care affordable. Just sayin'...

Sheri

baking lesson: homemade cinnamon rolls

Since moving overseas I have gone through a transformation. Seriously. I am of the generation that does NOT cook. We buy prepacked sauces and foods. Open the package, add liquid, heat...wa-la dinner! Maybe every now and again I would cut some vegetables. That was before we moved overseas. Then all of a sudden I was thrust in to a world where no prepackaged foods were available, just raw ingredients.

I have become what my family calls "Pioneer Woman." I make everything from scratch...and I mean everything. Even our own maple syrup - though I had to order the maple flavoring online when we were in the US. I am still reluctant to call myself a cook as that is a label I have shunned for at least a couple of decades prior to now. Will this transformation continue when it is no longer necessary? That is still to be determined. But for now, this is our life. I will post some of the foods I've made in the coming days, but I wanted to share with you a baking lesson I received from The Intern.

The Intern came over on a Saturday to show me how to make cinnamon rolls. I've always been intimidated by this thing called yeast, so I just stayed away from it. Baking options are pretty limited if one avoids yeast. I had to overcome my fears.

Look at that beautiful blob of dough. I love my carbs, yes, I do. I love my carbs. How about you?

Swirly goodness. I can hardly wait to taste them fresh out of the oven.

Here they are being drizzled with icing. The three of us nearly ate a whole pan in one sitting. I haven't attempted this on my own, yet. When I do, I will let you know how they turned out. For now I just take some from Olivia from time to time.

Gone are the days of popping a can of Pilsbury. Welcome to the renaissance of pioneer living!

Waffles or cinnamon rolls are my favorite Saturday morning treat. What is yours?

Sheri

discovered: the origins of white skin

I have mentioned before the obvious lack of dairy products in Mozambique. I miss cheese options. I hardly use milk and I never drink it, but I still miss the availability of fresh milk.

This weekend I was with some friends at a beach. One of them told the funniest story about an interaction he had with a kid he works with. The kid had a theory - white people have white skin and they eat cheese and drink milk, Mozambicans have black skin and dairy is not part of their diet. Therefore, white skin must be associated with dairy consumption. Now, take this theory to the real world...

The friend is a white man from America. The kid is Mozambican. The location is a local take-away shop.

Take-away shop keeper asks something about how the friend and kid know each other.

Friend:  this is my son

Shop Keeper:  how is that possible?

Kid:  he's eaten more dairy than I have, I am just trying to catch up.

Ha!

Did you have any interesting theories when you were a kid? I had been told that people lived in the water drain, for a while I believed them.

Sheri

getting directions in Africa

"Drive until the road gets tired."

Tired? What does that mean? Apparently it means the pavement ends and dirt begins.

FAQ: visiting America?

Q: What is the best thing about visiting America?

Sure the wide variety of food options is fantastic, we do miss that when we are away. However, that isn't the best thing about visiting America. Not for this American living outside of our home country. The best thing about going home for me, was the ability to communicate, the ability to read, and the ability to understand. I know that at the end of many days I am exhausted and it isn't just the work load. It is that I am constantly trying to communicate, read and understand a language that is not my mother tongue - that I am only just learning. It takes a lot of energy to get through a day like that. It takes a lot of effort. The minute I got off the airplane in Atlanta and could understand the loudspeaker announcements, and easily read the signs, and strike up a conversation with anyone around me...at that moment I felt a burden lift. Ahhh, relief.

At the airport I actually found the interaction with the airline staff pleasant while reporting our lost luggage, because I didn't have to figure out how to explain all of this through broken words due to a limited vocabulary, using actions or pictures to fill in the gaps. I was simply able to say, "Our bags didn't arrive. They look like this. You can send them to this address." I expend less energy when I am able to communicate.

I also have a new found appreciation for the struggles of those who go through life illiterate. I am motivated to learn Portuguese partially so I can read the notices posted at our apartment. I often joke that at this point it could say they are fumigating at noon tomorrow, but we would be clueless because of our inability to fully understand the local language.

Once in Cambodia we had a group of folks over to play games. It was people from different countries, but they were all English speaking countries - America, Australia and England. One of the attendees prayed over our meal and said, "God, thank you for the opportunity to be in a room with people who speak English." Amen to that!!

I found my limited ability to understand Portuguese very irritating during the recent distrubances. The international news was hardly reporting the problem or events. The Embassy updates were outdated by the time I received them, I often read them and thought, "tell me something I don't already know." The best source for information was chatter on the street and the local news...all of which was in Portuguese. I would stare at the screen and strain my ears to pick up whatever I could. When the president spoke on the first night of rioting, I wanted desperately to understand his words as they would be very crucial to the outcome of events. I could not understand.

I called a colleague after the speech to ask what the President said. She laughed and said, "Sheri, no one knows what the President said." So, it ended up being one of those empty, political, pedantic speeches...but I still wish I could have understood the words.

So, count your blessings when you are able to greet a stranger and have them understand. When you can strike up a conversation while waiting in a public line. When you can read road signs, a newspaper, or an announcement posted in a public place. It is even a blessing to sit in a restaruant and be able to eavesdrop (listen in) on other conversations. In our daily lives, these things elude us. I did not realize the amount of energy spent as a result, until I returned home and suddenly the obstacle was removed and I was able to read, communicate and understand.

I have a deeper understanding of how effective the strategy of God was in Babylon by simply confusing the language of people.

Have you ever felt like a foreigner in a foreign land?

Sheri