After a month in America, I've completely gotten used to the local life.

I've become great friends with my roommates, and we were constantly exploring new restaurants and cozy cafes together. Work has become routine, and I was even happy to do physical labor. Because no matter how delicious the food is, it's very greasy and unhealthy. So, to avoid coming home with ten extra kilograms, I worked hard.

Everything was going smoothly: trips to neighboring cities, meeting new people, practicing English, and improving it—it was just paradise!

One day, I came home and no one was there. I thought everyone was still at work and calmly started heating up food and doing my own thing. My phone rang, and my friend from Belarus told me to come to the hospital urgently because she had been bitten by a dog!

While I was calling a taxi and packing her things, thoughts were racing through my head at the speed of light. I tried to remember everything our coordinators told us about insurance: where to call, what to say, and how to pay. Because medicine in America is insanely expensive!

In the end, I arrived at the hospital, and the doctors, after fully examining my friend, said she needed to stay overnight. I stayed with her just in case, so she would feel calm at night.

We called the insurance company and spent a long time explaining who we were and what happened. They understood us, and the insurance covered all the medications used and the night we spent in the hospital.

The total bill for the treatment came to $13,000!

Actually, it was very scary because before leaving, I was sure I wouldn't even need insurance. I rarely get sick and took only the essentials with me. But being in a foreign country, you need to know your rights and options to solve any problem.

Very important: listen to the coordinators at meetings. Especially the information about your rights and medical insurance.

After all, anything can happen. #insurance #usa #travel