The One Month Update

So I've been living in Switzerland for one month so I thought I'd give you an update on how things have been so far.

I love it. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I have had a very eventful week and I can't wait to tell you all about it.

Tuesday was a bad day. I was sitting in class and it was a bad German day. German is like cancer - there are good days and there are bad days. And I know that it's horrible to compare German to a horrible deadly disease, but let's be real, the language sounds like lung cancer. So, hoping that you're still reading after my terribly medically incorrect statemnt, I will now get on with my story. I was sitting in class, hating my life and thinking about walking out of the classroom and swearing my alliance with English forever, and part of my front tooth fell out of my mouth. Yep, talk about toothpaste in my sink, try tooth in hand. So much worse. So now I'm sitting there, looking like Al Neumann from MAD Magazine thinking to myself, "Great! What do I do now?" So clearly after that point there was no learning German 'cause all I could think about was how I could get my tooth fixed. After class, I immediately rushed home via the S4 train strait to Adliswil to call my travel insurance company. Once connected, I explained the situation and they forward me to the person in Switzerland who would handel my case. Luckily they said that it is covered under my insurance and they would make a dental appointment for me and then reimburse me for my expenses. Two days later was my dental appointment (I know what you're thinking - uber quick!). My dental experience in Zurich deserves it's own paragraph.

Now, for you United Nations blog followers, let me describe briefly what the dental experience is like in some offices in the USA. It's pretty much the closest thing you can legally get to a human torture chamber. The place I went to in LA was dirty, had flickering fluorescent lights, and the rooms were so small that the dental hygenist practically had to be lowered from the ceiling to fit in the room. The machines are loud, you fear for your life, and you hope that you don't have cavities not because you want healthy teeth, but so you can leave as fast as possible.

My Dental Experience in Switzerland: All I had was the name of a dentist and an address to a giant building in the heart of Zurich. Fantastic. So I go to the building and I was told that the dental office was on the third floor, so I walk to the third floor hoping there would be a sign or any indication that I was in the right place, but alas, nothing. I go to the first door I see to ask if they know where the dentist is (and by ask I mean I would walk in the office and say the name of the doctor with a question mark at the end since a gerbil can speak better German than I can). When I walk in the door, I think, "Wow, this is a nice spa!" The reception was all white, dimly lit, white flowers, modern furniture, waterfall, the works. So I ask the receptionist (also dressed in all white down to her shoes) in a whisper where this dentist might be. Yep. The "spa" was a dental office. I give her my name and she walks me to another room - yes, a second waiting room with a fireplace, more flowers, more modern furniture - and she hands me a piece of paper to fill out and asks me if I'd like somthing to drink. I say no, and proceed to sit down and fill out the paperwork. I think facebook asked me more question than the dental form. Name, address, telephone number - that's it. So I finish filling out the paperwork and the receptionist walks me to the dental room. The room was huge. All that was in it was a short wall of cabinetry and the dental chair. And the dental chair looked like a modern piece of art. It was all white lacquer with soft curves and fluid movement. I sit in the chair and moments later the dentist walks in (also dressed in white from head to toe). Thankfully he was fluent in English so I told him my problem and he was like, "Ok! I'll fix it for you!" Fifteen minutes later I had the best set of teeth in the world. I'm serious. I think he made my teeth look straighter than before my tooth chipped! I couldn't believe it! Then, like most dentists, he explained the importance of brushing the teeth, blah blah blah - EXCEPT he actually taught me so much more than I have ever learned in a US dental office. In 30 minutes I had a fixed tooth and a new perspective on dental care. Then I go back out to the reception room, pay the bill (only $201 USD), and on my way to the exit the receptionist opened the door for me! Seriously, I have never had a more pleasant experience going to a doctor of any kind. It was incredible!

Well, that was kind of a novel about a simple dental experience and I actually have much more I could report about, but I'll just give you the overview and fill in the details at a later time:

YAY: My cousin and I bought tickets to the Denver Broncos vs. San Francisco 49ers at Wembly Stadium in London on October 31. I couldn't be more excited. Seriously, SO EXCITED.

BOO: My cell phone got locked, I couldn't unlock it, it erased everything, and now I'm communicationally challenged until further notice. It's a giant bummer.

YAY: I start my Au Pair job in one week. I start my employment off by going on a vacation with the family to Germany and then maybe to Austria or Italy, whichever the family decides. Baller!

YAY, BOO, and then YAY again: It's been a pleasantly sunny week, but alas, I look out my window to a terrenchal downpour. Good thing I bought cute boots yesterday (don't worry, Dad, they were 1/3 the price of normal boots 'cause I went to an outlet store).

YAY: I read the book of Hosea (in the Bible) on the train yesterday morning and highly suggest that you read it. Chapter 2 is absolutely moving.

Ok, I'm done. You can now go about your busy life doing more important things than reading my blog! Until next time!