An Overseas Clinic Visit Made Me Realise the Importance of Travel Insurance

This is a story of me going to a medical facility while on my America Road Trip and how lucky I felt when I knew I would be covered by travel insurance.

December 2017, I went on a road trip to the United States of America (USA) - it was during the winter period but not that it mattered anyway I guess.
I was on my way to the Grand Canyon when halfway through the bus ride there I started vomiting.
I vomited and felt uncomfortable in the stomach - it was miserable, especially since I was kind of confined to the single bus seat.
Every time there was a break, I would either remain on my seat to rest (if I'm lucky) or I would alight to empty the vomit bag, get a new one, then proceed to vomit more in the toilet (I have no idea how I got so much stuff to puke as well).

By the time I reached the Grand Canyon Lodge, I was half dead.
I alighted the bus and warmed myself in the Lodge.
After a while, I gave up! I felt too miserable that I booked a cab via the reception to drive me to the Grand Canyon Clinic - yes they do have a medical clinic there.

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I got myself checked into the clinic and waited about 45 minutes before any medical personnel could attend to me.
Once it was my turn, I was put on IV (intravenous therapy) aka tubes carrying liquid poked into my veins to transfer liquid substances into my body.
Then I had tubes carrying oxygen put into my nose so that I had air going into my body.
Apparently, the nurse said that I was experiencing altitude sickness - more about it HERE
This was how I looked like while lying on the clinic's bed

After 1.5hours of being on IV and given oxygen, I was discharged from the clinic with some medication and isotonic drink.
The bill turns out to be USD 376.12 - which translate to about SGD $500+

Honestly, that was a big bomb! That 2.5 hours visit wiped out nearly 10% of my road trip's budget!
I knew seeing a doctor in America was expensive, I just did not expect it to be this expensive!
At that moment of paying the bill, I was so glad that I actually bought travel insurance!
If I didn't have insurance, I'll probably wait until I was near death before I would go see a doctor because it is just too expensive!
A $100+ in travel insurance cost ended up saving me $400 in medical cost and nearly dying - quite worth it!

I remember going to Taiwan last time with my friends and they had food poisoning. We too went to visit their hospital and good thing they had travel insurance to cover their visit. It is a good thing I was not the who got the food poisoning as I did not buy insurance back then because I did not think I will need it.
So, it turns out it is really easy to fall sick while overseas - so buy travel insurance!
It saves lives!

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We Don't Lack Leaders, We Lack People With Empathy

What makes a leader? What makes a person a leader?
We follow leaders because of many reasons; because they have a strong vision; because they are charismatic; because they inspire us to do great things; because of this and that.

Great leaders like Steve Jobs, had many followers who followed him because he was a visionary, he was charismatic, and he demanded - inspired - people to do great work. We can stretch it a little and say the same can be applied to Hitler - the man literally convinced his people to go to war and risk their lives for him.
These are great leaders, and I believe there are many more of such leaders around us that we know.

I have seen and been under leaders who emits "leadership" qualities. They can give great instructions, make us work together as a team, and make us willing to push ourselves just a little more to achieve their goals.

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But does these "leadership qualities" really make a leader so great that we are willing to go to lengths for them? In the short-run, I believe these "leadership qualities" are key as they get people started, get people to work together, and push people to achieve short-term goals - like completing a project. In the long-run, however, I believe caring for people (empathy) is the key characteristic, is the true mark of a leader.

I do not think that someone who can lead is naturally a leader.
I would work really hard for a charismatic leader for 1 week to complete the project for them. But if they are not caring, not empathetic to people, I can see myself quitting once I am burnt out. Because a leader can only keep us in their 'reality distortion field' for so long before we all break free from it and realise that he/she can lead, but is not a real leader.

We lack people who care for others, who are genuinely concerned about their people's well-being, and not just their own. I am arguing for another kind of leader, the kind of leader that has a normal vision, has minimal charisma, does not really inspire us to do great work, but genuinely cares for us and our well-being, and because of that care, we are willing to work with and for them.

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