Culture shock
Today seem to have had a theme. Several things happened today which all made me realise how happy I should be to live in Belgium.
One of our good friends who are living in the Netherlands got their first baby today! Once more congratulations with the cute Thijs to Arnaud and Kiki!!!! He came about a week too late but this morning this little wonder has decided to join our world. Yeaah the baby boom is still going on! The next expected baby is my sister's. woohoo, it's so exciting. She is really getting big but still looks really good and healthy. On the one hand I can't believe she'll truly have a baby , a loud little child in their house, their child. And on the other hand I can't wait to go and visit them and to babysit....
anyway, what I wanted to say. In the Netherlands you go to the hospital to give birth (actually a lot of people give birth at home) and a couple of hours afterwards you are already sent home!!! The young parents were already online at home this afternoon!! I was so surprised. Where is the pampering for the mother, the help and support she gets the first times she needs to feed, the time to relax.... going home right away where a house hold is waiting. It seemed so unreal to me, but that's how it goes there. I thought it was so normal to be in the hospital for a couple of days after the birth.
This afternoon I heard from Lisa about the waiting lists in Canada in order to receive surgury. I had already heard from them when I was over (read about them in the newspaper) but they become more real when you hear about them from someone you know. It almost seems cruel if you need a surgury and when you have to wait that long to get one. And once again , apparently you are sent home within the day after a back surgury? That sounds insane to me, even when I am not a doctor so I guess I cannot truly judge that. But doesn't narcosis take some time to get out of your body etc....
And in order to make it complete there was a documentary on tv tonight about some very conservative regulations that are being voted in the USA: eg. wearing low cut pants in lousiana could get you a conviction and a fine...
Well... I can only conclude tonight... even when this country somtimes seems overcrowded, a urban planning mess, political sad, growing racism and narrow-mindedness, ... I am happy to live here!! A good health system really is valuable and open minded people after all and true freedom.
good night!
One of our good friends who are living in the Netherlands got their first baby today! Once more congratulations with the cute Thijs to Arnaud and Kiki!!!! He came about a week too late but this morning this little wonder has decided to join our world. Yeaah the baby boom is still going on! The next expected baby is my sister's. woohoo, it's so exciting. She is really getting big but still looks really good and healthy. On the one hand I can't believe she'll truly have a baby , a loud little child in their house, their child. And on the other hand I can't wait to go and visit them and to babysit....
anyway, what I wanted to say. In the Netherlands you go to the hospital to give birth (actually a lot of people give birth at home) and a couple of hours afterwards you are already sent home!!! The young parents were already online at home this afternoon!! I was so surprised. Where is the pampering for the mother, the help and support she gets the first times she needs to feed, the time to relax.... going home right away where a house hold is waiting. It seemed so unreal to me, but that's how it goes there. I thought it was so normal to be in the hospital for a couple of days after the birth.
This afternoon I heard from Lisa about the waiting lists in Canada in order to receive surgury. I had already heard from them when I was over (read about them in the newspaper) but they become more real when you hear about them from someone you know. It almost seems cruel if you need a surgury and when you have to wait that long to get one. And once again , apparently you are sent home within the day after a back surgury? That sounds insane to me, even when I am not a doctor so I guess I cannot truly judge that. But doesn't narcosis take some time to get out of your body etc....
And in order to make it complete there was a documentary on tv tonight about some very conservative regulations that are being voted in the USA: eg. wearing low cut pants in lousiana could get you a conviction and a fine...
Well... I can only conclude tonight... even when this country somtimes seems overcrowded, a urban planning mess, political sad, growing racism and narrow-mindedness, ... I am happy to live here!! A good health system really is valuable and open minded people after all and true freedom.
good night!
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