ohhhh markus ….

forced myself out of bed on Friday to get my social security number since there is a wait time after application of about 2 weeks.

because no social security number, no cell phone, no salary, no nothing.

ok, got there by cab since I was sill feeling rather groggy. on the way there (its near Times Square) was freaked out for a moment by an incredible HUGE billboard showing one of the two m&ms.

after some searching found the office, got a waiting number A37 and a seat. I had been warned in the office that it could take a while, but I thought since I am going there around 2pm the waiting queue is much shorter. and had no book with me.

The first number called was A06. and after 10 minutes A07. and after further 8 minutes B192 (A is for Manhattan, B for Brooklyn) and I thought ooohhh myyy god, this will take ages. 

But about 80 minutes after I draw my number there was some kind of number calling frenzy since A10-A19 and A21-A29 were not present, so I thought, cool, its my turn in the next 10 minutes. BUT after calling A35 there was a loooong period were they were just calling Bs and people arriving much later than me had their turn before me. So about 50 minutes after calling A35 my number was called and I finally had my turn (note: the Asian lady next to me who I had a lovely chat with had number A24 but she missed it when called due to her conversation with me and others and had to get a new one. A52. shit.)

When I approached the counter I saw a notes book on the front desk and it seemed it was laying  there for ages. WTF? Would have been a perfect fit for an office in Austria, maybe Salzburg

After processing my application she printed out a form and asked me if everything is correct. After a quick check I said no, my location of birth is wrong, it is NOT Saught Poelten and corrected it on the printout and wanted a new one, but she resisted and said, no,¬†she couldn’t read my handwriting and she will not¬†change it since its common that handwritings can’t be read and that’s the way it is. WTF? is this woman mad? but I didn’t want to argue after 2.5 hours of waiting I was just glad I could leave and get back to bed.

On my way back I stumbled over famous Times Square. OH MY GOD. Although I have seen it before this place just blows you away, the billboards are just amazing.

 

most funny thing today: that I was born in Sauhgt Poelten

this morning couldn’t barely speak cause my throat hurt that much. decided to seek for a doctor. unfortunately my medicare coverage starts after one month of employment, so I was warned by the office that I have to pay everything myself. which I thought can’t be THAT big deal, hey I just wanted a prescription. so after some running up and down the 34th I finally found the address the office gave me and waited for the doctor after filling out the form. which was rather intrusive.

the most intrusive (beside other ones, 4 pages with multiple choice questions, NOT all medical) was “have you ever been violated in your family physically or mentally?” - hmm, everyone with brothers and sisters HAS to say yes to this, I assume

well, after about 20 minutes of waiting, I was seen by a doctor who was very friendly and told me after a short examination, that my throat is very swollen and angry but luckily my lungs sounds perfect, so it will be perfectly fine with antibiotics. the whole thing took about 10 minutes including getting the prescription.

the bill for it was $225 for examination and $53 for the antibiotics. if something that minor costs THATS much, I can imagine why medical is that big kind of issue in the states.

also very interesting was the fact that the secretary was highly surprised that I wanted to pay the whole amount at once and she asked twice if I want any payment plan instead and after paying said to me that next time “we can work out a payment plan for sure”. mhm, seems like I have maybe looked a little bit fucked up (and tired).

btw, the packaging of the antibiotics is much more foolproof than the ones in Austria, as you can see on the picture, with VERY clear instructions and markers when to take them.

on my way back to my apartment got a couple of supplies and took this short video at whole foods.

I was really fascinated by the highly efficient waiting queue system. there are three waiting queues, with a big screen on top (which can’t be read on the video, but it has 3 differently colored areas with the numbers appearing on them as they are called). every couple of seconds the number of a free cashier is announced (there are 24!) and you can move ahead if its your turn (order is always from left to right, if the person in front of you is called you advance and two calls later its your turn, sounds more complicated than it is).

right now its about 2:00 in the morning, my throat hurts like mad and I can’t sleep. ohhh what a life.

most funny thing today: my face when I saw the bill of the doctor