An elderly lady gestured me to come in. As I followed, she remained
silent, a sign that she spoke no English. If someone doesn’t know “hello”
comprehension is generally poor.
“Portuguese.” she said. “Speak
Spanish?”
When I shook my head, she took up her cell phone. The first number
didn’t answer. The second, after a short conversation in Portuguese, proved
unfruitful. She continued dialing. She was Brazilian, and most South American
travelers have travel insurance. If I phone the insurance agency’s 800 number,
someone will interpret. Unfortunately, my call hadn’t come from a travel
insurer but a national housecall service, Expressdoc.
I could phone Expressdoc and ask for the agency’s number, but that
makes them uncomfortable. Housecalls is a viciously competitive business.
The lady finally found a multilingual friend, and we proceeded with the consultation, passing the phone back and forth. As usual, delivering medical care was the easiest part. She had broken her glasses. She complained of a headache, but it was clear that she wanted a doctor’s note so insurance would pay for a replacement.
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