Monsieur, je voudrais le laissez-passer A-38!

If you have seen Les 12 travaux d'Astérix or in English, The 12 tasks of Asterix, you know that Astérix needs a certain permit... à la maison qui rend fou, the "house that sends you mad".

Hello bureaucracy!!!

Yesterday, I took a day off and I went downtown with my mom in order to get my dad registered again with the Quebec's healthcare system.

We understood that his "Carte Soleil" lapses... but we did learn there that he was somehow running on a 6-month "grace period" which ended... shortly after he was admitted at the hospital. Talk about timing. It sucks...

While I still don't understand why I haven't seen any renewal notice in the mail, it at least explained a mystery: Why my dad had at home all the free help from the public healthcare... and why all of a sudden, once he got hospitalized, the hospital would balk.

If you're curious, as of yesterday, the hospital bill was up to $35,000 . Have you ever felt your heart literally skipping a beat... if not SEVERAL beats? :) Or picturing yourself sinking in a quicksand of debts? :)

So we have to re-register my dad to the Québec healthcare system as if it was his very first time. Since he can't do that by himself, my mom has to do it for him. To do that, my mom has to prove who she is and that my dad is her spouse. Easier said than done.

Then we have to find the original lease of the apartment, to prove that they are living in Québec for at least a year. ANd so on and so on...

See, the permit A38 that Astérix needs? He needs to fill up the blue form which requires that he gets the yellow form first which will be given if he gets the pink form, all in order to get that permit? It felt that way today.

A bit like in that Astérix task, there are some supposedly shortcuts if you can't end up at the required booth with the required papers. We had to go through there, since we couldn't find all the required papers. Whoopy. :)

Not to mention that like in Astérix, there are some very clever clues: "You'll find the port by the seaside". Have you ever seen a port... at the top of a mountain, for instance? :) We got some equally great advices too, along the way.

My mom (who is also around 85 like my dad) is thankfully in good health, has a good sense of humor, and she knows her classics too. Err... Astérix. :)

Many times during those long waits in line, we were chatting about Astérix and that specific task he had to accomplish... and giggling.

To say that we "enjoy" the walks in "the house that sends you mad" (yup it exists in Montréal) and the many waiting lines, it is quite a stretch.

However, by the end of the day... we did FINALLY obtain that official paper, stating that my dad is officially re-registered. In just ONE DAY? It felt surreal. Nawww... that can't be it. Not that fast! And yes... it is!

So this has been a mad mad mad day... that ended very very well. I think that I will sleep well, VERY well tonight, no longer picturing myself drowning in debts. :)

(In case one wonders, my dad is recuperating. He's out of ER. He has a room and a real bed, and he should be sent back home sometimes next week. Thanks heaven!!!).

So... here's in French, that scene... Getting a certain permit, at "the house that sends you mad."



(If French is too much, while the image quality isn't there, you can try this link, in English)

Cheers,

-E