Now usually when I got sick it was just a passing cold, but one time I had something that would not go away no matter what I did and I eventually decided to go to the hospital to get checked out. Before this, the whole idea of going to a hospital in a country I wasn’t familiar with scared the death out of me, but it was necessary so I sucked up my fear and did it.

I emailed my volunteer coordinator, Milena, to ask where the best place would be for me to go, and she was so unbelievably helpful giving me choices in hospitals and directions to both. I ended up going to a public hospital in La Boca, because it was free and I really did not feel like dealing with insurance and payments at that moment, so I got on a bus and rode about 30 minutes to the neighborhood, got off at a stop 10 minutes away, and walked.

Once I got to the hospital I went up to the desk and explained my situation; they took my name and told me to wait until I was called for a consultation, so I took a seat in the waiting area and settled in with my book expecting to be there awhile. Not even 20 minutes later my name was being called and 10 minutes after that I was on my way back to the bus station with a prescription and a smile on my face at being treated so easily. I swear, it was one of the easiest hospital/doctor experiences in my life and after I took the medicine for the prescribed amount of time I felt so much better.         

I know getting sick abroad can be annoying and scary, but if you get ill while volunteering in Buenos Aires I promise there is nothing to be afraid of because if you end up needing a doctor, they are great.