It is my last week in Tours. And I would not call it a good week.
On Tuesday, when my host dad was repairing the wall in the garden, the drill hit something on the other side of the wall and pierced into his left hand. I did not see the whole scene, but when they came back to the house, my host mom was pale. They went to the hospital immediately and my host dad came back quickly with his right hand wrapped in bandages. Therefore, we did not talk much during dinner. However, what I learnt from my host dad was that the health care system in France covers all the cost. I was amazed by the system because it was so different from the ones in the States and in China. My host brother is entering his last year in med school, he told me that the examinations for med school were competitive, and they took a “grand examen” at the end of the school year. He had taken five already, and once he finished with the sixth one, he would work in a hospital depending on his scores. As a med student, he told me the other side of the health care system. When he “fait un stage” (internship in France), he was somehow irritated by those who exploited the system. “People just went in without any problems, they just wanted to ‘waste’ the money of the tax payers, and they did that,” he complained.
On Thursday, my host mom had a liver problem so she went to the hospital for a quick operation, which, of course, costed her nothing. However, she did not have the strength to talk with us, so my host dad jokingly commented that they were both handicapped.
On Friday, it was the final day. When the class ended, I said farewell to all of the classmates, and wished them a bright future. It was a bit sentimental. When I wondered about the town with my friends for the last time, and when my host parents drove me to the train station, knowing that it was probably the last time I could see them, I couldn’t help but cry. Anyway, no matter how enjoyable my summer in Tours was, it had to end. Everything has an end. I have to come back to Notre Dame and continue mon école, but it will stay in my memory forever.
