medical check

On Tuesday morning we were taken to the International Medical Center for Frances' medical check. We walked through a courtyard and into the main hospital. So different from what I am used to in an American hospital. The hospital staff are all very professional and serious, it is the facilities that could use some modernization. We were taken into a small conference/examination room where we met with a doctor and a nurse. Frances was weighed and measured. The doctor performed a short physical exam and read through her medical chart. It all went well and we are now one step closer to obtaining her Visa. We are just waiting for the Vietnamese passport to be issued and we can go for the INS interview. Hopefully that will be Friday. After the exam we went for lunch with the other family that is here adopting through the same agency. Frances really enjoys being out and about. While at the restaurant the power went out for a short while - a not uncommon occurrence here. I cant believe the tangle of electrical wires that string along the utility poles, I don't know how anyone could ever figure out what leads where. Later that I afternoon I went in search of someplace to buy baby formula. There are lots of shops in this area but I had yet to see a place that sold basic groceries. Finally I hit the jackpot at the TAX department store, a small grocery market on the second floor. It can be fairly difficult navigating through the streets but I am starting to get the hang of it. Most intersections have no stop signs or lights and the streets are full of scooters, mopeds, motorcycles and cars all just maneuvering around each other and constantly honking horns to signal where they are. To cross the street you just walk out into it. No one stops - you just become part of the traffic flow and make your way to the other side. It can actually be entertaining to watch. Sort of a controlled chaos.