Queuing

Over the past year I'd heard horror stories of having to wait in lines at various Polish offices, however until this past week I'd never experienced it first hand.

Last Thursday I met my agent at one of the government offices to pick up my residency card. She told me that she'd already been in line for 90 minutes and that the line had barely moved, quickly pointing out various people who were in line in front of us. The structure of the line wasn't obvious, as some people were sitting in a row of chairs, while others were standing in spots around the hallway.

As a foreigner, I would never have figured out this system alone. The office was behind a door, and it seemed logical to my Canadian mind that I would go in that door first, instead of waiting outside in the hallway. Which is exactly what some other foreigner did, only to be told by someone waiting in line that they had to go to the back of the line.

I got to test the system out myself yesterday when I went to visit a dental specialist for my aforementioned jaw issues. Since I didn't have a specific appointment, only a referral form from the emergency department I visited on Friday, my first stop was reception to find out where I should go. The English-speaking receptionist took pity on me and escorted me up to the 2nd floor, telling me to sit in the chairs in the hallway while she went in to talk to the dentists.

When she reappeared, she told me that they would see me, but I would have to wait, maybe for an hour or more. So I did, sitting patiently in my chair until everyone else around me had gone in. 90 minutes later I saw a dentist briefly only to be sent off to for x-rays in the basement.

Navigating the x-ray cue was a little trickier. First, I wasn't sure what x-ray was in Polish (rentgen for those of you who are interested), and wandered around the basement floor looking for it. Next, I wasn't really sure what to do about the line. Did I sit in the chairs in the hallway and wait, or did I take my chit into the x-ray technicians and wait to be called the way I would in Canada? Still unsure of protocol, I went with what I knew and went through the door.

I was quickly told by someone waiting in line that I had made the wrong choice and that I had to wait in line too. So out I went and sat in the last vacant chair. A few minutes later an older Polish man motioned me into the chair in front of me. I am not sure if he was just being polite, or if I had actually arrived before he had. For the next 30 minutes, every time someone went into the office, everyone in line stood up, moved over one chair and sat back down again.

When it was my turn, I went in, gave my chit, explained I didn't have Polish insurance, then was sent upstairs to pay before I could have my x-ray. When I came back down, I didn't know which line to stand or sit in. I chose to just stand in front of the door, and sure enough when it opened again, I showed my receipt and was motioned in to finally get my x-rays.

Finally I was sent back upstairs to see the dentist again, where I had to figure out what to do all over again.


Jaw update
My face was back to normal size by the time I went to see the specialist, but I still have some pain. No one could give me an answer on why it happened, but they all agreed it wasn't dislocated, which didn't really satisfy me. I have to go back again in 6 weeks to see someone who is going to make me some kind of mouth guard, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that my face doesn't balloon up again before then. Today most of the pain is gone, but I am still eating soft foods and am taking my painkillers with me on my abbreviated vacation this week.