July 31, 2007
We've had a rough couple of months. I got a really bad case of strep
throat. I couldn't eat, drink, or even swallow my saliva. My throat
was so swollen that I couldn't even breathe at night. I had to stay
awake to consciously breathe and spit in a cup. Of course I had a
high fewer of 103 degrees as well, and neither Tylenol nor Motrin
could bring it down.
I used to get strep throat a lot when I lived in Utah. And then one
day, my dear friend and visiting teacher Sally Gross, told me that if
I took a vitamin every day that I would quit getting strep. Well, I
followed her advice for the next 4 years and I never got strep in
Iowa. Then I moved to Georgia and forgot to take my vitamins and got
the worse case of strep ever.
My children got sick right along with me, not with strep but with
roseola. They had a really high fever for four or five days, followed
by a red rash all over their bodies. Nephi's fever reached 105
degrees. I had a really hard time brining it down. I was happy when
it was down to 102.
But hey, what's there to worry about when I live on a military base
and I have 100 % free healthcare? I am one of the lucky Americans who
have access to socialized medicine through the military. Well, I only
feel lucky until I'm really sick and have to make an appointment and
the receptionist tells me that there are no appointments available for
the next two weeks. She suggests that I go to the ER.
Well, I don't really feel like going to the ER because I've been there
a couple times already with my sick children, and it took roughly 7
hours to get out of there. To top my ER visit off, the first time I
was there with Grace there was blood on the floor from the previous
patient. The second time I was there with Nephi and Grace there was
blood on the floor, on the table, and on the bed that my kids were
supposed to sit on, all from the previous patient. I complained
several times and asked for someone to clean it up, but they must have
been too busy, so I cleaned what I could myself, and steered my
children away from the bloody sheet on the bed.
To top all of this off, it wasn't anyone at Eisenhower Hospital who
figured out what my children were sick with, but a nice old lady at my
church. When she heard me complaining about Nephi's fever and
Grace's rash she told me that it had to be roseola and told me to look
it up on the internet. She was right. Their symptoms matched
perfectly. The next time I saw the doctor, I told her what I had
diagnosed my children with and she agreed with my internet diagnosis.
Who needs doctors when we've got the internet? My sister in law,
Anne, who is a nurse, told me that you can even buy all of the
medication online at canadapharmacy.com and on other similar sites.
I was born in Poland in 1973 during the cold war and I lived there
until I was nine years old. I know that that was a long time ago, but
I still have many childhood memories because people often ask me about
my past and repeating the stories over and over makes them stick in my
head. Living here in Georgia on a military base reminds me of
communist Poland a bit.
In communist Poland, I remember shortages and long lines in the
grocery stores and gas stations; I remember that everyone always had
to carry an ID; and I remember that cashiers and other service workers
were most often rude. Also the police was allowed to search your home
and other personal belongings without a warrant or even a very good
reason.
Well, here at Fort Gordon, things are pretty similar. When you enter
the military base, you have to show an ID and your vehicle is subject
to random checks. I've been searched a couple of times. The last
time this happened to me I was with my friend Tina who had no idea
what was going on and she thought that her car was being searched and
that she was being arrested for no apparent reason. I joked with her
and told her that we were going to be strip searched as well. Of
course she didn't believe me, but it was hilarious.
I also need an ID to buy groceries, or to gas up. There are very long
lines at the checkout and the grocery store closes at 7pm. Often, the
items that I need to buy are out of stock. And often there is a line
at the gas station! Come on, this is America!
To top all of this off, most cashiers and receptionist here are very
rude. It is not a pleasant experience to shop or get paperwork done
around here. What happened to the southern hospitality I heard so
much about?
Well, so far I haven't met very many nice people here in the south. I
have however met many loud, obnoxious, gangster looking, mean people.
The first week we were here, we got thrown out of the library because
Nephi and Grace were making noise. A "lady" at the pharmacy yelled at
me because Nephi stood on a chair. When I went to Wal-Mart a few
weeks ago, I think I witnessed a robbery. A guy came out of the store
with a fly swatter and used it to open the door of a locked car. At
first I thought it must be his car and he's just trying to get in.
Well, once he opened the car, he looked around the front seat, then he
looked around the backseat, and then he looked in the trunk and found
a bunch of grocery bags. He removed the bags and walked off in broad
daylight. I tell you, I've moved from the nicest place on
earth---Iowa, to the ghetto---the south…and I live in a communist
city—Fort Gordon, Georgia.
All of these negative experiences have led me to reflect on the
Savior's words: "…love you enemies, bless them that curse you…", "…and
charity suffereth long and is kind…is not easily provoked…thinketh no
evil…"
Whenever someone is rude to me, I have a tendency to get mad and
complain about it over and over again, whether in my head or out loud.
Living in Georgia has given me way too many opportunities to be mad,
so I've decided on a different approach. I've decided to try not to
be so easily provoked and to try to love my enemies. When I encounter
a rude person, I try to think fast of something nice to say. I may
find a way to compliment them, or I simply try to commiserate with
them about their long hard day at work.
This usually helps the situation and I walk away feeling good instead
of angry. I have also started looking at people in a completely new
way. For the first time I really feel like they are all children of
God, and that they should be important to me because they are
important to Him. It is and new and foreign concept for me to try and
brighten the day of a rude person...
Sylwia
31 Lipiec 2007
Ostantnie dwa miesace nie byly za dobre dla nas bo ja bylam bardzo
chora na angine. 4 lata temu ja czesto chorowalam na angine, ale
jednego razu moja kolezanka, Sally, mi powiedziala ze jesli codziennie
bede jadla vitaminy to przestane chorowac. Ja to sprobowalam.
Codziennie w Iowa jadlam vitaminy i nigdy tam na angine nie
chorowalam. Ale jak przyjechalam do Georgia to zapomnialam o
vitaminach i zachorowalam.
Moje dzieci tez zachorowaly, ale nie na angine, ale na rozyczke.
Mialy bardzo wysoko temperature przez kilka dni a potem wysypke.
Tu w ameryce jest stala debata o sluzbie zdrowia. Tu sluzba zdrowia
jest prywatna i trzeba duza za ubezpieczenie placic. Wiele ludzi by
chcialo zeby sluzbia zdrowia byla panstwowa zeby podatki za to placily
i zeby kazdy mial ubespieczenie. Jak ktos jest w wojsku to ma okazje
kozystac ze sluzby zdrowia panstwowej i niestely nie jest taka dobra.
Jak ja dzwonie zeby ustalic wizyte u lekarza to zawsze mi
recepcjonistka mowi ze nie ma miejsca i ze musze isc na pogotowie. Ja
nie lubie chodzic na pogotowie be taka wizyta na pogotowiu to zajmuje
7 godzin. Pierwszy raz jak bylam na pogotowiu z Grace, to pokoj byl
brudny i mial krew na podlodze od kogos innego. Jak bylam na
pogotowiu drugi raz z Grace i z Nefim, to byla czyjas krew na podlodze
na stole in na lozku. Ja poprosilam zeby to sprzatneli kilka razy,
ale nikt nie przyszedl wiec ja sama to sprzatnelam. To by sie nigdy
nie stalo w prywatnym szpitalu, bo prywanty szpital to biznes wiec
musi byc czysty i recepcjoniski musza byc mile.
Lekarz w szpitalu nawet nie wiedziala co jest z moimi dzieci. Pewna
pani w kosciele mi powiedziala ze one pewnie maja rozyczke, wiec ja o
tym poczytalam na internecine, i miala racje. Jak poszlam do lekarza
i to im powiedialam to sie zgodzili z ta diagnoza. Po co mamy lekarzy
jak mamy internet? Nawet teraz mozna kupic wszytkie leki na
internecie. Mojego meza siostra Anne co jest pielegniarka to nieraz
sama sobie kupuje leki na internecie.
Ja sie urodzilam w Polsce w roku 1973 podczas komunizmu. Pamietam
troche o moim dziecinstwie bo czesto ludzie mnie o tym pytaja i czesto
o tym opowiadam. Pamietam stan wojenny i jak byly dlugie kolejki i
jak zawsze trzeba bylo miec ze soba dowod. Pawmietam ze panie w
sklepie byly nie mile i ze czesto nie bylo zeczy na polkach w
sklepie. Tez pamietam ze policje mogla przeszukiwac ludziom przywatne
domy i ich zeczy.
W ameryce niegdy nie mialam takich doswiadczen, az sie teraz
przenioslam na baze wojskowa. Baza wojskowa to jest troche podobna do
komunistycznego kraju.
Zeby w jechac na baze trzeba miec dowod, i policja moze cie zatrzymac
i przeszukac twoj samochod. Juz dwa razy moj samochod przeszukiwali.
Ostani raz bylam z kolezanka i ona nie wiedziala o co chodzi i myslala
ze jest aresztowana. Ja zartowalam z nia i powiedziam jej ze moze
bedziemy musaialy sie rozebrac. Oczywiscie to byl zart, bo tylko
sprawdzaja samochody.
Tu na bazie jedzenie i bezyna jest dosyc tansza niz w miescie, wiec
czesto mamy duze kolejki i czesto nie ma roznych zeczy na polkach.
(To nie dlatego ze zeczy nie ma, ale dlatego ze tak duzo i szyblko
ludzie te zeczy kupuja.) Ale to jest Ameryka! Ja nie wiedzialam o co
chodzi z tymi kolejkami na poczatku. Tez panie w skelpie sa nie mile
bo to jest pozytek kupowac zeczy w tym sklepie, wiec nie traktuja to
jako biznes. Zeby kupic jedzenie i benzyne tez zawsze trzeba
pokazac dowod, i tez skep zamyka sie o 7 wieczorem. Co to za godziny?
Ja jestem przyzwyczajona ze sklepy sa otwarte 24 godziny na dobe.
Przed przeprowadzka do stanu Georgia, wiele ludzi mi mowila ze ludzie
sa bardzo mili na poludniu w Ameryce. Mi sie wydawalo ze ludzie byli
bardzo mili w Iowa, no i mialam racje. Tu w Georgia jest wiele
niemilych ludzi ktorzy wygladaja i zachowuja sie jak gangsterzy.
Raz jak poszlam do skelpu w miescie to widzialam jak ktos sie wkradl
do kogos samochodu. Na poczatku ja myslalam ze to byl jego samochod,
ale jak on ten samochod otworzyl, to nim nie pojechal, ale zabral
torby z bagaznika i poszedl. Ja nie wiem napewno czy to byla
kradziesz czy nie, ale tak to wygladalo. Jest duzo filmow o ameryce o
niebespiecznych miastach. Ja nigdy w takim miescie nie mieszkalam as
do teraz. Moze te filmy maja troche prawdzy w sobie. W Iowa zawsze
bylo spokojnie i czysto i pieknie i ludzie byli mili. Wiec ta
przeprowadzka jest szokiem dla mnie.
Zyjac w tym srodowisku zaczelam myslec o pewnych czesci z pisma
swietego. Jest napisane ze mamy kochac naszych wrogow. Tez jest
napisane ze milosc do blizniego zawiera zdolnosc nie myslenia zlych
mysli i zdolnosc nie denerwowania sie.
Wiec ja sie zdecydowalam nie denerwowac sie jak ktos jest do mnie nie
mily. Za to probuje cos tej osobie milego powiedziec. Nieraz mowie
im jakis komplement, albo po prostu mowie im ze oni tak ciezko
pracuja. To najczesciej pomaga tej osobie miec troche lepszy dzien.
Ja tez sie lepiej czuje i nie jestem zdenerwoawana. Nawet czesto sie
ciesze ze moglam troche pomoc osobie w zlym chumorze.
Zaczelam patrzec troche innaczej tu na ludzi. Wszyscy ludzie sa
dziecmi Boga i dla niego oni sa wszyscy wazni, wiec powinni oni byc
dla mnie wazni tez….
Sylwia
We've had a rough couple of months. I got a really bad case of strep
throat. I couldn't eat, drink, or even swallow my saliva. My throat
was so swollen that I couldn't even breathe at night. I had to stay
awake to consciously breathe and spit in a cup. Of course I had a
high fewer of 103 degrees as well, and neither Tylenol nor Motrin
could bring it down.
I used to get strep throat a lot when I lived in Utah. And then one
day, my dear friend and visiting teacher Sally Gross, told me that if
I took a vitamin every day that I would quit getting strep. Well, I
followed her advice for the next 4 years and I never got strep in
Iowa. Then I moved to Georgia and forgot to take my vitamins and got
the worse case of strep ever.
My children got sick right along with me, not with strep but with
roseola. They had a really high fever for four or five days, followed
by a red rash all over their bodies. Nephi's fever reached 105
degrees. I had a really hard time brining it down. I was happy when
it was down to 102.
But hey, what's there to worry about when I live on a military base
and I have 100 % free healthcare? I am one of the lucky Americans who
have access to socialized medicine through the military. Well, I only
feel lucky until I'm really sick and have to make an appointment and
the receptionist tells me that there are no appointments available for
the next two weeks. She suggests that I go to the ER.
Well, I don't really feel like going to the ER because I've been there
a couple times already with my sick children, and it took roughly 7
hours to get out of there. To top my ER visit off, the first time I
was there with Grace there was blood on the floor from the previous
patient. The second time I was there with Nephi and Grace there was
blood on the floor, on the table, and on the bed that my kids were
supposed to sit on, all from the previous patient. I complained
several times and asked for someone to clean it up, but they must have
been too busy, so I cleaned what I could myself, and steered my
children away from the bloody sheet on the bed.
To top all of this off, it wasn't anyone at Eisenhower Hospital who
figured out what my children were sick with, but a nice old lady at my
church. When she heard me complaining about Nephi's fever and
Grace's rash she told me that it had to be roseola and told me to look
it up on the internet. She was right. Their symptoms matched
perfectly. The next time I saw the doctor, I told her what I had
diagnosed my children with and she agreed with my internet diagnosis.
Who needs doctors when we've got the internet? My sister in law,
Anne, who is a nurse, told me that you can even buy all of the
medication online at canadapharmacy.com and on other similar sites.
I was born in Poland in 1973 during the cold war and I lived there
until I was nine years old. I know that that was a long time ago, but
I still have many childhood memories because people often ask me about
my past and repeating the stories over and over makes them stick in my
head. Living here in Georgia on a military base reminds me of
communist Poland a bit.
In communist Poland, I remember shortages and long lines in the
grocery stores and gas stations; I remember that everyone always had
to carry an ID; and I remember that cashiers and other service workers
were most often rude. Also the police was allowed to search your home
and other personal belongings without a warrant or even a very good
reason.
Well, here at Fort Gordon, things are pretty similar. When you enter
the military base, you have to show an ID and your vehicle is subject
to random checks. I've been searched a couple of times. The last
time this happened to me I was with my friend Tina who had no idea
what was going on and she thought that her car was being searched and
that she was being arrested for no apparent reason. I joked with her
and told her that we were going to be strip searched as well. Of
course she didn't believe me, but it was hilarious.
I also need an ID to buy groceries, or to gas up. There are very long
lines at the checkout and the grocery store closes at 7pm. Often, the
items that I need to buy are out of stock. And often there is a line
at the gas station! Come on, this is America!
To top all of this off, most cashiers and receptionist here are very
rude. It is not a pleasant experience to shop or get paperwork done
around here. What happened to the southern hospitality I heard so
much about?
Well, so far I haven't met very many nice people here in the south. I
have however met many loud, obnoxious, gangster looking, mean people.
The first week we were here, we got thrown out of the library because
Nephi and Grace were making noise. A "lady" at the pharmacy yelled at
me because Nephi stood on a chair. When I went to Wal-Mart a few
weeks ago, I think I witnessed a robbery. A guy came out of the store
with a fly swatter and used it to open the door of a locked car. At
first I thought it must be his car and he's just trying to get in.
Well, once he opened the car, he looked around the front seat, then he
looked around the backseat, and then he looked in the trunk and found
a bunch of grocery bags. He removed the bags and walked off in broad
daylight. I tell you, I've moved from the nicest place on
earth---Iowa, to the ghetto---the south…and I live in a communist
city—Fort Gordon, Georgia.
All of these negative experiences have led me to reflect on the
Savior's words: "…love you enemies, bless them that curse you…", "…and
charity suffereth long and is kind…is not easily provoked…thinketh no
evil…"
Whenever someone is rude to me, I have a tendency to get mad and
complain about it over and over again, whether in my head or out loud.
Living in Georgia has given me way too many opportunities to be mad,
so I've decided on a different approach. I've decided to try not to
be so easily provoked and to try to love my enemies. When I encounter
a rude person, I try to think fast of something nice to say. I may
find a way to compliment them, or I simply try to commiserate with
them about their long hard day at work.
This usually helps the situation and I walk away feeling good instead
of angry. I have also started looking at people in a completely new
way. For the first time I really feel like they are all children of
God, and that they should be important to me because they are
important to Him. It is and new and foreign concept for me to try and
brighten the day of a rude person...
Sylwia
31 Lipiec 2007
Ostantnie dwa miesace nie byly za dobre dla nas bo ja bylam bardzo
chora na angine. 4 lata temu ja czesto chorowalam na angine, ale
jednego razu moja kolezanka, Sally, mi powiedziala ze jesli codziennie
bede jadla vitaminy to przestane chorowac. Ja to sprobowalam.
Codziennie w Iowa jadlam vitaminy i nigdy tam na angine nie
chorowalam. Ale jak przyjechalam do Georgia to zapomnialam o
vitaminach i zachorowalam.
Moje dzieci tez zachorowaly, ale nie na angine, ale na rozyczke.
Mialy bardzo wysoko temperature przez kilka dni a potem wysypke.
Tu w ameryce jest stala debata o sluzbie zdrowia. Tu sluzba zdrowia
jest prywatna i trzeba duza za ubezpieczenie placic. Wiele ludzi by
chcialo zeby sluzbia zdrowia byla panstwowa zeby podatki za to placily
i zeby kazdy mial ubespieczenie. Jak ktos jest w wojsku to ma okazje
kozystac ze sluzby zdrowia panstwowej i niestely nie jest taka dobra.
Jak ja dzwonie zeby ustalic wizyte u lekarza to zawsze mi
recepcjonistka mowi ze nie ma miejsca i ze musze isc na pogotowie. Ja
nie lubie chodzic na pogotowie be taka wizyta na pogotowiu to zajmuje
7 godzin. Pierwszy raz jak bylam na pogotowiu z Grace, to pokoj byl
brudny i mial krew na podlodze od kogos innego. Jak bylam na
pogotowiu drugi raz z Grace i z Nefim, to byla czyjas krew na podlodze
na stole in na lozku. Ja poprosilam zeby to sprzatneli kilka razy,
ale nikt nie przyszedl wiec ja sama to sprzatnelam. To by sie nigdy
nie stalo w prywatnym szpitalu, bo prywanty szpital to biznes wiec
musi byc czysty i recepcjoniski musza byc mile.
Lekarz w szpitalu nawet nie wiedziala co jest z moimi dzieci. Pewna
pani w kosciele mi powiedziala ze one pewnie maja rozyczke, wiec ja o
tym poczytalam na internecine, i miala racje. Jak poszlam do lekarza
i to im powiedialam to sie zgodzili z ta diagnoza. Po co mamy lekarzy
jak mamy internet? Nawet teraz mozna kupic wszytkie leki na
internecie. Mojego meza siostra Anne co jest pielegniarka to nieraz
sama sobie kupuje leki na internecie.
Ja sie urodzilam w Polsce w roku 1973 podczas komunizmu. Pamietam
troche o moim dziecinstwie bo czesto ludzie mnie o tym pytaja i czesto
o tym opowiadam. Pamietam stan wojenny i jak byly dlugie kolejki i
jak zawsze trzeba bylo miec ze soba dowod. Pawmietam ze panie w
sklepie byly nie mile i ze czesto nie bylo zeczy na polkach w
sklepie. Tez pamietam ze policje mogla przeszukiwac ludziom przywatne
domy i ich zeczy.
W ameryce niegdy nie mialam takich doswiadczen, az sie teraz
przenioslam na baze wojskowa. Baza wojskowa to jest troche podobna do
komunistycznego kraju.
Zeby w jechac na baze trzeba miec dowod, i policja moze cie zatrzymac
i przeszukac twoj samochod. Juz dwa razy moj samochod przeszukiwali.
Ostani raz bylam z kolezanka i ona nie wiedziala o co chodzi i myslala
ze jest aresztowana. Ja zartowalam z nia i powiedziam jej ze moze
bedziemy musaialy sie rozebrac. Oczywiscie to byl zart, bo tylko
sprawdzaja samochody.
Tu na bazie jedzenie i bezyna jest dosyc tansza niz w miescie, wiec
czesto mamy duze kolejki i czesto nie ma roznych zeczy na polkach.
(To nie dlatego ze zeczy nie ma, ale dlatego ze tak duzo i szyblko
ludzie te zeczy kupuja.) Ale to jest Ameryka! Ja nie wiedzialam o co
chodzi z tymi kolejkami na poczatku. Tez panie w skelpie sa nie mile
bo to jest pozytek kupowac zeczy w tym sklepie, wiec nie traktuja to
jako biznes. Zeby kupic jedzenie i benzyne tez zawsze trzeba
pokazac dowod, i tez skep zamyka sie o 7 wieczorem. Co to za godziny?
Ja jestem przyzwyczajona ze sklepy sa otwarte 24 godziny na dobe.
Przed przeprowadzka do stanu Georgia, wiele ludzi mi mowila ze ludzie
sa bardzo mili na poludniu w Ameryce. Mi sie wydawalo ze ludzie byli
bardzo mili w Iowa, no i mialam racje. Tu w Georgia jest wiele
niemilych ludzi ktorzy wygladaja i zachowuja sie jak gangsterzy.
Raz jak poszlam do skelpu w miescie to widzialam jak ktos sie wkradl
do kogos samochodu. Na poczatku ja myslalam ze to byl jego samochod,
ale jak on ten samochod otworzyl, to nim nie pojechal, ale zabral
torby z bagaznika i poszedl. Ja nie wiem napewno czy to byla
kradziesz czy nie, ale tak to wygladalo. Jest duzo filmow o ameryce o
niebespiecznych miastach. Ja nigdy w takim miescie nie mieszkalam as
do teraz. Moze te filmy maja troche prawdzy w sobie. W Iowa zawsze
bylo spokojnie i czysto i pieknie i ludzie byli mili. Wiec ta
przeprowadzka jest szokiem dla mnie.
Zyjac w tym srodowisku zaczelam myslec o pewnych czesci z pisma
swietego. Jest napisane ze mamy kochac naszych wrogow. Tez jest
napisane ze milosc do blizniego zawiera zdolnosc nie myslenia zlych
mysli i zdolnosc nie denerwowania sie.
Wiec ja sie zdecydowalam nie denerwowac sie jak ktos jest do mnie nie
mily. Za to probuje cos tej osobie milego powiedziec. Nieraz mowie
im jakis komplement, albo po prostu mowie im ze oni tak ciezko
pracuja. To najczesciej pomaga tej osobie miec troche lepszy dzien.
Ja tez sie lepiej czuje i nie jestem zdenerwoawana. Nawet czesto sie
ciesze ze moglam troche pomoc osobie w zlym chumorze.
Zaczelam patrzec troche innaczej tu na ludzi. Wszyscy ludzie sa
dziecmi Boga i dla niego oni sa wszyscy wazni, wiec powinni oni byc
dla mnie wazni tez….
Sylwia
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