During three days I have been to leave some samples to the laboratory, samples needed over three days. And even, as a Swede, I think the system is strange to first go to the Doctors office, then to a laboratory and then back to the Doctor* (Much easier when it’s all in one place and done at the same time as in the Swedish “Vårdcentral”) I adapt.

And again, as a Sweden, I am more than used to the ticket system, you take your ticket and wait for your turn. This is not used very much in France but at La Fourche Lab they have a ticket machine and it is 100% impossible to miss it. They placed kind of 1 mm from the entrance so you run into it before anything else. To pass it you even have to twist your body a bit so no one in the world can say they did not see if your not French of course.

All three days now when I been there, and on repeat, you hear the staff say “You must take a ticket and wait”, and the room is full of people waiting with there tickets and still you have a second cue to the reception with people without a ticket, add that each number is called out and include a loud “beep” so at some stage you think someone in the cue without tickets would think… “Why do they call out numbers and what is that “Beeping”?. And if the the reception is empty without anyone in line talking to the receptionists you can safely bet around 50 Euros that someone will enter from the street, run into the ticket machine, look at it and then go to the reception trying to explain what they doing there.

How is this possible? You have a room full of people waiting how can someone even think they are first in line? It’s completely fascinating and one of the things in France that someday’s can make you go crazy and other days a bit of the charm with this country, but whatever it is an amazing spectacle.

Björn

*) The French system must be really exhausting if you are really sick. Imagen a 40 degree and be in need of running around like that. BUT they also have a good system for home visits (I been told) so maybe that is whats been used then.