Don't you love farce?

We tried to sign up for our booster vaccine online as advertised and advised.  It didn't work.  I have no idea why.  It didn't work the first two times either and I have no idea why.

Well, then came along the end of the year and our annual attempt to renew our national healthcare, so getting vaccinated went by the wayside until we got that straightened out.

With the help of a friend who is involved in the local government. we got our healthcare coverage validated.  Why this was necessary, we will never really know.  The Italian bureaucracy in infamous internationally for this reason.  Things just don't make sense.  They have cell phones and computers and apps galore, but somehow, the left hand does not communicate with right hand and there are layers and layers of miscommunication between.  Rumor has it that the new Prime Minister wants to fix this, or at least try to.  I wish him all the luck in the world.

Anyway, back to the booster shot.  We could not make an appointment online, even with our brand, spanking new healthcare for 2022.  So, we had to enlist the help of our friend once again.  His wife works within the local Ministry of Health in the province seat of Pescara.  

We got a call from her one morning asking for certain information and the next thing we heard was that we were to show up at the Sports Complex (where a basketball arena has been used for Covid vaccinations since this all began) at 6:30 pm on Friday. 

The following morning, our friend called to say he had the form that needed to be filled out, he printed out two for us.  Ok.  So my husband went to his office for the forms.  They are just basic health questionnaires wanting to know if you have any conditions and take any medications.  When he picked up the forms, our friend gave my  husband a slip of paper with a doctor's name on it.  Our friend also said he would try to take us, but he wasn't sure that would be possible.

Well, he is a young man with a working wife and two young children.  I didn't want him to take us since he had done enough already.  He AND his wife had done enough.  So, I asked my friend across the street if she could drive us there, it is only a 5 minute drive just outside of town.  She said she could and that was that. 

At this point I could moan about the lack of organization and anticipation of needs before implementing plans, but that is an entirely different subject worthy of its own discussion. As in, why are there not multiple places to get vaccinated?  Why isn't there at least ONE located in the historical section?  Why doesn't this town have a taxi service or at least some sort of shuttle to the vaccine site?   

So, the time rolled around.  It was a cold, rainy, nasty day and the sun is gone completely by 5:30pm.  We left with my neighbor and friend at 5:45.  We were very lucky to find a parking spot just outside the basketball arena that is the vaccination hub.  My friend chose to wait in her car and we walked through the light rain to the outside tent where there is a small maze set up for long lines...but there was no line, so we did our dance through the maze (like at an airport) up to the entry.  There were only 3 people ahead of us.

We got to the head of the line and a man took our temperatures and checked our papers.  We were then sent to another checkpoint where they tried to find our names on the roster.  They took our health care cards, they took the forms but could not find our names.  I said we had an appointment.  They looked perplexed.  So I then said the name of the doctor our friend had given us, and my husband chimed in with the name of our friend.  "Six-thirty!  We have an appointment!!!"  I was very, very sure of myself.  With that, I saw the man start to write us in, on the side, under a list of about half a dozen other names.  

Then we were sent to another desk...a doctor and a clerk.  The doctor checked the health document and stamped and signed it.  The clerk was entering information into the computer and then handed me a form that would eventually be my confirmation of vaccination.  It had a small number 2 on it.

I got up and saw the banks of stations beyond...each with a number and number two was straight ahead.  Just then, a woman in scrubs came out and motioned me over.  "Due?"   "Si!"  So, I went right over...."Destra o sinestra?"  (Right or left?)  I was done within moments.  Then I was sent to wait at the end of the arena.  We had gotten there just before 6 pm and it was now just ten minutes after. 

Very shortly, my husband came along to wait....just to make sure there are no untoward reactions.  We waited dutifully.  I texted my friend waiting outside to let her know we would not be long.  We were home actually before our "appointment" time of 6:30 pm!

I emailed our young friend to let him know everything was done and we were home, although the people there did not have us down on the list of appointments.  Everything went well, nevertheless.

He called shortly thereafter.  Guess what?  He wanted to take us (if he could) because we never DID have appointments!!!  What???  We.....what?????  So, I stood there, totally confident, throwing names around until they caved and wrote us in.  Mmmmm...yeah.  He said other people without appointments had been turned away and despite all of his and his wife's efforts, they could not secure an appointment, either.  So, it was my big mouth and the luck of having hardly anybody there that got it done.

OMIGOD!  I have never been one to drop names or pull strings.  I was embarrassed, belatedly, but also VERY amused because if I had known I was lying I would have never been able to pull it off. I couldn't stop laughing.  Turns out the name of the doctor he gave us is the head of all of Abruzzo or something like that. Hahahahaha.  

So, here we are....hunkered down now, hoping the after effects won't be terrible.  Still wondering, forever wondering why we just could not make a damned appointment.  

It's good to have friends.