おとといの夜から具合が悪く、昨日は1日お休みをして自宅で寝込んでいたhiroro。高熱と頭痛に加え、激しい腹痛まで訴えるので昨日は朝一番にKNUキャンパス内にある診療所に行きました。そこで、とりあえず、薬をもらい、寝て様子を見ることに。彼が寝ている間、私はダンボール箱に囲まれてせっせと引越し作業に追われていました。夕方になり、おかゆを作り、起こしたところまた熱が上がっている。おまけにおかゆはほとんど食べないし、激しい腹痛を訴える。「今、入院なんかされたらまずい!」と思い、即ネットで大邱市内の英語の通じる病院を調べて、緊急外来に連れて行くことにしました。「本当に英語、通じるのかな??」と半信半疑になりながら、とりあえず、着替えさせてタクシーで市内にあり、一番近い慶北大学病院へ。今度は緊急外来を探すのに一苦労!だって、英語標記はなく、韓国語標記だけなんです。(涙)広い病院敷地内を走り回ること15分!なんとか緊急外来の入り口を見つけて、受付のおじさんと英語で話すが、まったく理解してもらえない。おまけに旧正月休み明けなこともあり、緊急外来はすごい人混みでした。とりあえず、野生のカンを働かして緊急診療受付の看護士をつかまえて、英語でこっちの状況を説明。その人は英語はわからなかったのですが、英語のわかる韓国人ドクターを連れてきてもらい、なんとか無事診てもらえることができました。結局は「胃酸過多による胃痛」で断食して、処方された薬を飲んでおけば治ると言われました。あー、やれやれ!です。本当に今回はビビリました。だっていつも私がダウンするのに、hiroroがダウンするのは初めてだったから。緊急外来で診てもらうために担架に寝かされているhiroroの横にずっといたのですが、その横の担架に寝ながら点滴をしていたおじさんに片言の英語で声をかけられた私。よっぽど心細いように見えたのか?!一言英語で「I hope he is better soon!」と言ってもらえた時はとても心温まる一言でした。「I hope you will recover soon, too!」と言ったらにっこり笑ってくれました。一瞬の出会いですが、こういうのも大事だなと思いました。しばらく、hiroroは完治するまで無理はさせれなくなりました。あー、一人で引越し!明日から大変だぁ~(涙)
hiroro was sick from 2nights ago and he took a day off to work yesterday to stay in bed. Since he had a high fever, headache and a stomachache, we went to the medical clinic on KNU campus, the first thing yeasterday morning. We got medicines from the clinic and he went back to bed all afternoon. While he was sleeping, I was surrounded by boxes for us to move soon. Early evening came and I made him some porridge to eat for dinner. I woke him up to make him eat but his fever rose up again. He was not able to eat the porridge at all. I thought to myself,"This isn't good! He can't be hospitalized now.". So I quickly looked up some hospital in Daegu that is able to be communicated in English. I decided to take him to one. Although I had a doubt about being able to communicate in English at the hospital, I made hiroro change into his clothes, caught a taxi and went to Kyungpook National University Medical Center in downtown Daegu and the closest to our dormitory. It took us some time to actually find where the emergency medical center was since the hospital was too big and all the signs were written in Korean, not English. after running around the hospital for about 15 minutes, I was lucky to find the entrance to the emergency medical center. Once I got there, I talked to the receptionist who couldn't understand English at all. Because it was right after the Korean New Year's holidays, there were many many people at the emergency medical center. Then using my natural insticts, I caught one of the emergency medical center nurse and explained our situations in English. although she couldn't understand English, she introduced us to English speaking Korean doctor.He was able to see hiroro. hiroro was diagnosed as "Stomachache from too much stomache acids". Few days of starvation and taking prescribed medications should make him feel alot better, the doctor said. But I was glad that it was nothing much more serious. I was really scared. It's always me who gets sick and not hiroro. It's his first time that he has gotten sick this bad. When hiroro was lying on a portable bed waiting for the doctor to come, I was standing besides him. Then a man lying on the portable bed next to him spoke to me in a broken English. Maybe I looked very scared, and he said to me in English,"I hope he is better soon!" They were very warm words. So I said to the man, "I hope you will recover soon, too!" Then he smiled back at me. It's a momentarily encounter but I think these encounters are precious,too. I can't let hiroro work too hard until he fully recovers. Oh oh... I must do everything about moving by myself. I'll be very busy from tommorow!