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April 17, 2007
The Waiting Room, Part II
Yesterday night, I found myself sitting in the emergency room on Calle 60, waiting to be checked by a specialist. I’ve had a cough for quite some time now and have been taking medicine for it, but it hasn’t seemed to gone away. And I’ve lost my voice two or three times…
Over dinner, I was talking with m Señora once again about the people from Cancun and I described them as being de mala fama (sleazy). Well, she got very angry with me when I said that and started defending them because after all, Quintana Rooenses were once Yucatecos. I apologized. Then, she got a bit cold with me and questioned why I haven’t seen a doctor yet for my cold.
So, to appease her, I did.
I went to the emergency room as my elizabeth suggested and it certainly was an experience. However, it did take substantial time away from my studying.
I entered the building and explained my situation to the receptionist at the front desk. She sent me walking up and down and all around the building until I got to another secretary for the ear, nose, and throat specialist. I signed in with her and took a seat.
After waiting a while, the doctor saw me. I entered into his small, filthy exam room and he used the oldest medical tools on me. Perhaps they were Mayan. He told me I had nothing more than allergies and prescribed me some medicine, which I took the pharmacy downstairs.
Although this procedure sounds pretty standard, I somehow feel like it was different than going to see a specialist in the United States. Here things are a lot less stressful (which could be a good or bad thing) and the medical facility certainly wasn’t nearly as equipped as one would be in the United States.
But, I made it like Yucatecans do and I went to see a doctor.
And the experience was a good one. It made me think of the story I read a few weeks back—“The Waiting Room”—in my Caribeña class. It was my turn to wait for a check up, here.
And it also made me think about a discussion we had today in class, about puertorriqueños that have migrated to New York City over the past century. You know, I’ve never really taken the time to notice just how many puertorriqueños live in Manhattan or Jersey City or even Connecticut. I’ve never done any investigating.
But the conversation we had in class today made me really interested in the topic, probably because we were discussing the history of my own home-turf.
Perhaps so many puertorriqueños have come to New York for sake of a better life, better health-care, etc. I wonder exactly if there is a difference, since Puerto Rico is still a territory of the U.S.
Maybe they too, have to wait to see a specialist in Puerto Rico and get checked with old equipment.
Or maybe they have come for other reasons.
We spoke about their great migration to the States—about their role in the building of NYC barrios—and about how their presence has helped grow Latino culture in New York City. And I certainly believe that Latino culture is a visible entity in Manhattan.
We watched the Guagua Aerea to aid in some of our discussions.
It’s funny because when I got home from school, I did the reading for anthropology tomorrow as well. And we’re set to talk about great migrations made by Mexicans, as well, many of whom have also traveled to NYC and New Jersey.
I feel really foolish for not having known the history of Latinos in my neighborhood and state before.
It’s funny how I’ve never taken the time to really notice these things about my own home. It’s funny how these subjects come up for the first time when I’m out of my own country.
So maybe it’s time that I start opening my eyes a bit…
Posted by jlsumich at April 17, 2007 10:49 AM