Fever

Normally when my son gets fever, I would always wait for a few days to see what is happening. It usually is afterall a middle ear infection in which it cures itself in time. Some two weeks ago on a Friday , I was called by the Kindergarten that Adrian has a slight fever. After buying some homeophatic medicines, I brought him home and he spent the whole day and night sleeping. Saturday he was still feverish and weak, Sunday a bit better. Monday I still let him stay home. Come Tuesday I left him in Kindergarten for a few hours. On Wednesday he stayed a bit longer. The sun shone marvelously on Thursday and of course the entire kindergarten made use of this letting the kids play in the playground for longer period of time. However at night Adrian has a recurring fever that I needed to bring him the next day to the doctor.

The doctor I was recommended does not hold clinics on Friday and so I went to the next recommended one. It is Medifera. Finding their phone number at their webpage, I called them three times connecting me to an english speaking person. This is however a recording and after waiting and waiting for two hours that they call me back, I tried my luck just having myself directly connected to the slovak speaking line. Finally that was the trick. Someone will definitely speak some English there. Thankfully I was scheduled in 30 minutes. When we arrived, there was not a long waiting time. Adrian was checked physically, then his blood and urine were taken for tests. Unfortunately there was protein present in his urine and the doctor ordered me to go to the Children's Hospital in Kramare to get an ultrasound of his kidneys.

So off we drove. Upon reaching registration, no one spoke English and we were just given instructions to wait for Room 9. So instead of being brought to the ultrasound department we were told to go again see a doctor. Doctor is out at the moment. Every patient comes curious not knowing what is happening. Are we falling in line? Then of course we are anxious that the staff inside would see us and have us rightfully in line. Now this is the start of my dilemna. We waited 2 hours before my son was attended to. And the most painful thing was one sees all the patients go one by one and we were even there before them. But I did understand that some cases were an emergency. Thanks to their cartoon movies my son waited patiently but not me. As our turn came, I was literally shouted at and thrown out of the clinic by an elder doctor because I do not understand Slovak. I could not stop my tears from falling. I was then assured that the doctor who speaks slovak would soon be there to attend to Adrian.

After all the frustrations of this experience, I finally on the following week managed to make an appointment with Dr Dagmar Kollarova. A very good doctor who speaks English. And when I asked her about her clinic situated in the same hospital where I waited, she explained that she rents those premises and therefore holds her clinic there and could use the hospital services too. Once she brought me for where the ultrasound was and explained too that by registering, one is automatically in the list and one just has to WAIT for one's turn.

Now whenever I have doubts about Adrian's health, I can peacefully rely on Dr Kollarova. Her website is Kollarova.sk

This time I do not wish you

happy waiting!

Internet Banking

 

One day my husband arrived home and gave me a file with lots of papers and a small calculator-looking gadget. This gadget seems familiar to me as I had one similar when we were in Indonesia. I never got to use it. Have a guess why? Never understood it, never learned how to use it. Yes…it boils down to language problems. So I told my husband, oh I am never gonna use that coz I don't know what to do with it. A day later he told me I rather check how to use it because otherwise I would be going to the banks paying our bills. And imagine the line…..Huh but we only have T-com to pay, right? So I can manage that. End.

 

Then sometime I received from him a phone call informing me that our new car could now be picked up. BUT… the insurance must be paid first before we could drive it. And got to hurry because parking in the center costs a lot. Ah what to do? We live in Koliba and taking the bus and going to the bank is a two hour ordeal. He suggests to pay via the internet. Voila!

 

I open Tatra Bank's webpage and fortunately find an English version. I click on Internet Banking and the page asks me for a PID. I rummage through the 20 pages or so papers what that could be. I found it easily. Then it asked for Password. I assume that it is that code written on the same paper stating HESLO. I give it in. Nope. I give it again. Nope. Where the hell is that password? Until I find an closed envelope. I open it finding some 20 number and letter combination. Ah this must be the password. That paper with the PID and Heslo and other things ticked is the check list which they have given my husband. Aha. I am one step closer. Or so I think.

 

Then the webpage asks me for a Code. AGAIN? Please……Where do I get that code in which I should enter it without spaces? I probably need to use that calculator looking device now. I enter the card into the slot and it could actually "express" itself in English and then it asks me again of something. Have a guess! Right another PIN. Because I give in numbers again and again and it doesn't recognize it, I gave it up.

 

I call the bank. My time is running out to pay that insurance. I wait and wait and call again and nobody calls me back. I call my husband and tell him my frustration. Oh he says, why don't you try this number? So I did and it worked finally giving some numbers I could enter. Probably the code they were asking for. Now doing the transfer. I am asked to enter a number prefix of the account which I didn't find at all. It just never stops. Fortunately the bank calls me. Someone who could explain me everything after hours of trying to figure out how this should work out. In short, in order to enter you account via internet banking you must enter a code generated from the card reader. To attain this, you must enter your ATM pin. If making a payment via internet banking, then you should fill up the form and at the end you will be asked again for another code. If in the card reader you just ask a code, it will not match and the transfer of payment is not successful. Therefore, when making payments, press in the card reader payment/platba, enter the amount rounded up (without cents), enter bank account, enter variable number if asked, at the end a code will show up matching to the payment you have entered via internet banking. Then it is successful.

 

After understanding all of these, it all seems easy to do internet banking. Well, at the very beginning, everything would have been easy anyway if all was written in English.

 

Happy banking!

Getting Lost

Today I had to bring my husband and son to the old theater. As I had to wait some two hours I needed to find a parking spot. This is terrible in the city so driving around not wanting to be so far from the theater was not so successful and I ended up parking on the other side of the Danube river, just below the old bridge.

The parking was spacious and promised me a wonderful walk along the river. I started looking on the old city side and screened the UFO bridge, the Bratislava Castle, the St. Martin Church, the old bridge and the new Apollo Bridge. As I trot along the riverbank, a different kind of children's playground welcomed me. Very colorful, it even offers a kind of hanging line for children. They hold a rope and it lets them end up using their own weight to the other side and back. I was so happy to find this and bring the good news to Adrian that I would be bringing him here soon during summer.

Then a boat hotel was just parked and loudly presenting itself in its way by being orange. How could it escape me as my favorite color is orange. As people walk their children or dogs, or just on their inline skates or bicycles, I couldn't help admiring this park so clean and silent. Until I reached Aucafe, ostentibly expensive but after checking their webpage www.au-cafe.sk it is after all not. One can sit on their terrace to admire a view on the castle and the old city charm, the river flowing before it.

Higher up is the Leberfinger restaurant, a name in itself serving excellent Schnitzel. We ate here after the theater but only after driving some 20 minutes to find it because getting there could be quite scientific with a car. Walking could have been easier for us. I ordered the Carpaccio which was chewy and not cold enough. I gave myself assurance that my grilled spareribs would be better. Well, I envy my husband who always orders perfectly. Meaning, his food is always the better one than mine. In short try to order the restaurants famous for and you'd never go wrong. They have, by the way, a children's corner at the cellar, offering white board in which our Adrian took time to draw all his imaginative airplanes and rockets. www.leberfinger.sk

On this side of the river I conclude it with crossing the Novy Most (New Bridge), formerly called the SNP Bridge, symbolizing the Slovak National Uprising. On top of the bridge is the flying-saucer shaped structure, thus, UFO. It has a cafe and offers such wonderful views over the city. Today, however, was cloudy and it was not good to go on top with such weather.

As I reach, the other side of the river, there was no other way to get back to my car than walking further and crossing the old bridge. The old bridge is now only used by passenger buses. But a platform is there for pedestrians. I did get dizzy looking below at the running river.

So as far as getting lost, not technically, but it was just nice to end up somewhere and discover lots of things due to it. If I never got lost, I wouldn't have experienced this part of the river.

Happy getting lost!