1. Bring your own toilet paper.
2. Bring your own fruit.
3. Bring your own water – you’ll get lots of tea, but water is a little less likely.
4. Bring your own towel, washcloth, toothbrush, etc. – you might be able to buy a few things, if the hospital has a little store, but don’t count on it.
5. Bring your own knife, fork, spoon, cup, and dish soap to wash them! (Thanks, Christie M., for the reminder)
6. Look forward to getting to know a few other people really, really well. Private rooms are uncommon.
7. Bring your medical records with you, and keep them with you.
8. Bring some money. Thankfully, bribing the doctors and nurses is less common than it used to be – but you’ll need to it to buy all the things you forgot to bring. Like toilet paper. And water.
9. Hope you enjoy pajamas and a robe (and slippers). That’s the required hospital fashion.
10. Don’t expect to get a lot of information. Poland is a high-context culture, you are expected to just “know” these things.
11. If you are having surgery, you are expected to provide your own blood for a possible transfusion. Or have someone donate in your place.
12. Assuming you pay privately – which you do if you aren’t part of the national health service – expect to pay about 10% of what you would in the United States (this is the best fact of all!!) If you are in the EU health care system – most standard procedures are free.
Missions in Europe 