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Got food poisoned in Dublin, the night before I was to take a cross country bus to fly out of Galway in the afternoon. First time I'd ever been food poisoned, I had no idea what was up, felt like I was gonna die, I was in some shitty hostel stinking up the place, so I called an ambulance explained the situation and got taken to the emergency room. They hooked me up to fluids, about all you can do and I just kinda dozed miserably that night. Somehow got on the bus and cross country with no incident - I was double-dragoned out.

Long story short, I get home and I freak out, I don't think I gave them my info! Oh no, some international collections agency is gonna come for me if I don't straighten it out. I call them up (from work, I'm not dialing Ireland on my own dime) and try to explain the thing tell them I have insurance I can give them the info. Lady asks my name to look me up. Like all American Irish Diaspora, I have a very stereotypical Irish name. Lady laughs out loud, says 'we probably had a dozen of you in that night.' and hangs up. Wasn't even worth their time to type it into the computer.

I later (thought I) cracked a rib in South Korea, turns out it was just a torn pec. I'd gone to the doctor to ask for painkillers and as soon as I mention broken bone I'm hustled into this room, I don't speak enough Korean to really get it, until I realize I'm in front of an old timey-style standup xray screen, like Looney Tunes or something. Too trained to contradict a doctor, I'm nevertheless FUMING. I didn't agree to this shit! I didn't ask for this. I figure if they try to hit me for more than $500 I'm making a huge scene. Anyway $50 for the visit, the xray, the script and the pills cause they had a pharmacy on the floor right below.

We're dogshit, just the worst country. And I say that knowing full well how many ignorant racist chuds there are abroad. At least they don't think it's somehow freedom to go bankrupt having a tooth pulled.

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Gotta make profits: we lost humanity’s thread a LONG time ago. Don’t really believe it’s fixable anymore. We’re Rome.

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