Health Check!

In order to get your ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) there are a few things that need to be done, but the first step is getting a resident visa and to do that, you need a health check. Since I already had a job lined up before I arrived, technically I could have started the process in Canada, but what would have taken days/weeks there, only takes about an hour here. There are sooooo many foreign workers here, not just English teachers. There are many workers here from the Philippines, Indonesia, etc, so the hospital has really worked hard to make the process easy and efficient.

Upon arriving at the hospital, you fill out your basic health info, get photos taken in the on-site photo booth, paste them to the page, and take a number to see the doctor. I tried to get there first thing at 9am on Monday morning, but you know me and my struggle to be on time...so I got there at 9:20 or so, and there were about 20 people in front of me. Luckily it didn't take too long to see the doctor. He didn't really ask anything different than the form other than "could you be pregnant?" (Nooooooooo.) To make small talk while he tapped away at the computer, I told him that I had come the previous week, but got there right as they took a lunch break. In pretty good English he said, "That's ok, shit happens," with a big grin. I almost laughed out loud, because it was not really appropriate to the context and not all the professional, but he was just so pleased with his knowledge of English sayings that it was funny.

Then it was off to the counter to pay - it cost $1660 NTD which is about $55 CAD.

Once I'd paid, I was handed a stack of forms in a folder for the various health professionals I would see. My favourite paper was this one.

You see? How easy! They check your height, weight, eyesight, take blood, do a chest x-ray and then....FINISHED! And it's ready to be picked up in a week.