Sat, May 3rd 2008, 23:49
Spring
Spring has finally arrived in Germany, and it is pretty great. It's sunny and all of the greenness looks so amazing with the backdrop of blue sky. I should have come to Germany in the Spring, and not at the beginning of winter. The sun is up until eight o'clock at night, and all the trees are blooming.
Yesterday I decided that I wanted to make some guacamole. I don't know what for, since I still can't eat chips. But I went to the store and tried to find the ingredients. I was a little stumped with the cilantro, but I looked it up in a dictionary and it said it was called Koriander in German. Well apparently, it's called coriander in English as well, but that is the wrong part of the plant. The fresh leaves are called cilantro, which is what I wanted, and the spice called coriander is made from the seeds and tastes differently. So I bought some coriander, which will probably make my guacamole taste strangely, but oh well! I am waiting for my avocados to get soft, I have no clue how to tell when they are ripe. But then I will enjoy some odd guacamole.
I started playing Lord of the Rings Online again yesterday, and it was fun. I haven't played for about a month. I really think I just don't like playing when the roommates are here. I will be so happy when we finally move out of this place.
But in two weeks I will be in Phoenix! I cannot wait. I will spend my days shopping, eating, and watching movies while Mike is at work. I really hope my mouth is healed by then. And then I will get to see a lot of my lovely family for Nathaniel's graduation.
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Mon, Apr 28th 2008, 23:48
So, the death breath, swelling, and most of the pain have gone away. And now, the only thing left to trouble me is my inability to eat anything.
I have an appointment tomorrow to get my stitches out, so I will find out if they are healing properly (they seem to be).
Like I mentioned, I have been eating chicken broth, instant mashed potatoes, and ice cream. I can only eat a little because my jaw gets tired, so I am constantly starving, because these things are not very filling. Then the combination of starving and not taking my antibiotics resulted in nausea the other day.
I've been having dreams about food, folks. It's all I can think about, I am so hungry! Yesterday I went to class, and all I could smell when walking past the Hauptbahnhof was the Burger King and Subway. When I got home I pleaded with Mike to take me to the grocery store, and I bought refried beans, taco seasoning, ground beef, and tortillas.
So now I am enjoying taco meat and refried beans, and it is the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. I have to chew it with my front teeth, and it still wears my jaw out to eat it. But it is goood. The tortillas are still a little too hard for me.
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Thu, Apr 24th 2008, 13:03
Gentlemen's Day
Wednesday is a triple holiday in Germany. First it is a religious holiday called Ascension Day, second it is Father's Day which they call Männertag, and third it is the anniversary of the Reinheitsgebot (beer purity laws).
Männertag has a tradition where men go on a hiking tour with wagons filled with wine or beer and traditional regional food. No women allowed! I'd like to get a picture of this, because it sounds quite silly.
The Reinheitsgebot are beer purity laws started in Germany 492 years ago (Der Spiegel article). These laws strictly regulated the price and ingredients of beer at the start of the 16th century. The law stated that:
"In all cities, markets, and in the country, the only ingredients used for the brewing of beer must be Barley, Hops and Water. Whosoever knowingly disregards or transgresses upon this ordinance, shall be punished by the Court authorities' confiscating such barrels of beer, without fail."
This day is basically an excuse for more beer drinking, and it is especially big in Bavaria, even though breweries don't follow the laws anymore, since yeast is now used in beer.
It figures that the first beautiful, warm days of spring start when I am confined to my bedroom with puffy cheeks. The first day was really the worst, now I have to say I have relatively no pain, just a few minor inconveniences: having to sleep on my back, not being able to eat solid foods, having puffy cheeks, and having rotting death breath no matter how often I clean my mouth. I am only taking normal pain medication now because the stuff my doctor gave me made me very sick. But I really don't need it because my mouth hurts less than it did when I had teeth back there. Only issue is the swelling, which makes my jaw really stiff and I can't open it very wide or talk too much without it getting sore.
I've been spending my time watching movies, surfing the net, and playing computer games. I've been eating ice cream, chicken broth, and instant mashed potatoes. Today I left the house for a walk outside because it was nice and warm, and I will probably have no excuse to skip class on Monday.
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Wed, Apr 23rd 2008, 22:17
Wisdom Teeth
Warning: Excessive details and whining about my wisdom teeth ahead
I wish my appointment wouldn't have been in the afternoon, because I spent all morning with nothing to do, just getting worried.
When we finally went, I met the anesthesiologist, who was very nice. She explained to Mike what she would do and then he translated for me. After that I turned on my headphones and tried not to think about it as she gave me an IV. I was supposed to be only tired and kind of like a dream, but instead I ended up not remembering anything. The last thing I remember is them putting a sheet over my head with a hole in it, and then getting shots in my gums. When I woke up, everything and everyone was gone. I guess it only took a half hour, and the dentist said that everything went fine.
I was in no pain at this point because I was still feeling a little drunk and my mouth was numb. But when we got home, the numbness started to wear off and the pain began. It was really quite bad, my entire jaw was aching and I couldn't swallow, even though my mouth was constantly filling with blood and had an awful taste in it.
I couldn't go to sleep because I had to keep changing the gauze. My dentist only gave me three, so once those were gone I was a little worried because I was still bleeding. I took some of the pain medicine he prescribed. It says it is only 400mg of Ibuprofen, which is only an over-the-counter amount, so I really don't understand it, but I think it is what caused me to be nauseated and to throw up all night long without giving me any pain relief.
It was quite scary, I couldn't sleep or eat anything and I was in lots of pain. I was also worried that throwing up would start it bleeding again. I bled most of the night and still am bleeding a bit. Mike took care of me, and I was really glad to have him there. He even took the night off from playing computer games for me! He's still a keeper.
I finally fell asleep sometime last night, and now I am up and feeling worlds better, mostly because I am not nauseated. That is one of my least favorite feelings. But I am still terribly sore and having trouble swallowing.
This whole ordeal only cost me eighty euros, and that was only because I requested anesthesia. I am on a student insurance which costs about sixty euros a month, so it wasn't completely free. But I think, considering how much they told me it would cost in the U.S. ( around four grand), it was a great deal. And now it is finally over and I am relieved.
Today I am supposedly going to swell up like a chipmunk, so I will just take it easy and see if I can eat some ice cream or baby food. Only a few weeks until I go to the U.S.! I need to be healed before then, so I can eat all of that food!
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Mon, Apr 21st 2008, 06:38
We live and die here
Lyrics from the song "Deutschland" by Die Prinzen. If you speak German you should definitely check it out on YouTube. Also the lyrics in German and English are here.
Sometimes I feel like I might die here when I think about how long I am staying, but then I realize how melodramatic I'm being.
I just realized that my oral surgery is actually on Wednesday, not Thursday, so my mental preparation for this event has been thrown out of whack by the schedule change. I appreciate all the kind comments, but I prefer to assume that it will be the single-most awful experience in my life. This way, I am sure to be pleasantly surprised. This is usually how I operate.
Mike and I are looking to move out of our WG (apartment). It's basically like living in a dorm room again, and I didn't spend four years in college to do it all over again. Mike and I are slightly more mature and would like to have a home that we don't have to share with young kids (no rush there!).
We placed an ad about our rooms, and it should be fairly easy to find people who are interested since it is a very nice apartment. We have already had a few people come look in only a week.
We are having a little trouble finding an apartment, however. We need one with an Einbaukuche (which means the kitchen is included). Most apartments in Germany do not include ovens, cupboards, sinks or refrigerators. They are just empty rooms. So we would prefer to have a kitchen so we don't have to spend all the money on those appliances for just a year of living here.
Another thing that we must have is internet. Mike works from home. I thought this would be relatively simple, but apparently not much of Germany is wired for internet, and it is really hard to get it. For me, this is hard to understand since it's as easy as a phone line or cable connection in the U.S. But I guess because the city is old, they have not wired it the right way for internet.
Das gibt es nirgendwo anders - nur hier, nur hier
It isn't like this anywhere else. Only here.
I am hoping that when I return from my trip to Arizona in June we can move out. That would be just lovely. But we will have to wait and see.
My class this week is cancelled because my teacher is out of town. So I am basically just trying to stay busy so I don't panic about Wednesday. My brain tells me it will be fine, but my emotions have a mind of their own.
First signs of spring in Germany
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