SiCKO- Turkish Style

So I just returned from the American hospital in Istanbul where I was visiting my friend Jill who has dysentery. That's right, Oregon Trail, "Jill is too weak to hunt" dysentery. She'd been feeling extremely ill for the past few days and was admitted last night, and fortunately she's doing much better. She's a pretty tough cookie who is able to keep a sense of humor in almost any situation, and debilitating infectious disease, it appears, is no exception. She had us all cracking up during the visit- and even though the pretenses were unfortunate, I have to say I have no qualms about spending my last Friday night in Istanbul watching Turkish MTV, reading Cosmo, and drawing pictures with Jill and our other friend Abi. It also gave me a chance to compare the healthcare systems in Turkey and Germany, or more precisely, to compare the hospital in Berlin where I waited with an swollen ankle larger than my fist in a plastic chair chained to the floor for 4 hours before I was seen by a doctor, who wrapped it in an ace bandage and asked me if I had any bigger shoes, to Jill's palacial suite, and caring nurses, the seemingly seemingly gourmet meals (for herself AND her visitors), hassle-free insurance processing and payment, and of course, the nonexistent waiting room (now that says something). Certainly not the contrast I expected.