8 Doctor Medical Details

So, our 8 doctor medical was on Friday (our last day in Moscow) and all went well. Karyn and Ana - I know you are waiting for details, so here it goes :)

We were picked up at about 1PM for our appointment at 2PM. Jennie told us we were picking up her friend, Galina, as she is an expert with the medicals. Jennie is super with paperwork and getting things done quickly, but she felt we were in better hands with Galina for the medical appointment.

We arrive, pay our 10 rubles for the fancy blue slip-on booties, and head upstairs. There is a waiting area with couches and the rest of our "travel companions" are there with their translators. We had been told it could take hours for the medical and to bring food with us. Within 10 minutes we were rolling though. Nick and I went in together to see the oncologist. He was very nice, asked a few questions about any family history of cancer. Mostly he was interested in knowing if we were related to a famous hockey player and what type of airplanes Nick flies :) He asked where Luca and Jaxon were from and told us we were "taking Russia's best boys" (he is right!). We assured him that they will get loving parents, a beautiful home, and will always be told of their "beginnings". He liked that and wished us much happiness.

Then it was a bit of waiting and onto the next room. There were about 5 doctors in this room. They asked questions about any childhood illnesses, surgeries, trauma, etc. Then we had to take off our shirt and socks - they listen to our hearts, took our blood pressure, and had us touch our nose. Nothing difficult - it was just weird to be in this room with all these doctors at once. Took about 10 minutes. And yes, Nick and I went together to this part of the medical.

Last was the narcologist/psychiatrist - this is individual. It was bizarre. First, I walk in and the room is dark - no lights on. She is sitting at the far end of a table and I have to sit at the other end. She was already setting the stage - intimidation. Her questions were mostly about cigarette smoking and drinking. I have never smoked a cigarette in my life and she clearly did not believe me - she kept asking why I never tried it. I finally had to tell her it was a gross and smelly habit. No idea how Galina translated that!

Now Nick, well he was another story. He likes psychologist/psychiatrists - mostly enjoys "playing" with them. Of course, there was a language barrier here. She asked what he majored in in college and he thought it would be fun to say "psychology" - I guess Galina's eyes popped out of her head! Luckily, she translated that to "pilot". He also hates when people try to intimdate him by positioning their chairs the way she did, so he of course pulls his chair right up to hers. Thank goodness I was not in the room with him. Somehow, he did manage to pass though!

So, after all this we wait around a bit more - the head doctor has to sign the final medical forms. We pay our rubles, get the papers, and are done. 2 hours start to finish - not bad! We have heard it can take much longer, but it was a fast day for our group.