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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Fri, Apr 18th 2008, 12:20
ich liebe dieses Leben I love this life
ich liebe diesen Tag I love this day
ich liebe diese Welt. I love this world
A song by German band, Juli
(This song helped me out a lot with declinating articles in German). Click
here to view a music video on YouTube.
The post man was very generous this week, and I received five postcards!
Both from Finland
Mannheim, Germany
This one is from Taiwan. The sender writes that the card represents the old copy of a Chinese classic novel "The Dream of the Red Chamber". It was a story of a rich and high class family from their glorious period until their collapse, which involved love, friendship, brotherhood, and official circles. The most contribution of this novel is to introduce readers the detailed life style in that era, the Ching dynasty.
This one is from West Virginia University, and the sender claims that his team beat Arizona's team in basketball last month. I don't keep up with sports, so I wouldn't know :)
I'm doing this because I haven't done anything worth blogging about for the past few weeks. But don't worry, next week I'll be sure to write lots of whiney posts about how I am suffering after my wisdom tooth extraction. This is from the blog, Simply Me.
Maybe I should eat another cookie.
I love when Mike tells stupid jokes.
People would say that I'm too quiet.
I don't understand German grammar!
When I wake up in the morning I am usually grumpy.
I lost a lot of things when I moved.
Life is full of embarassing moments.
My past is full of embarassing moments.
I get annoyed when I let my anger get the best of me
Parties are uncomfortable.
I wish I had more motivation.
Dogs are smelly.
Cats are rude.
Tomorrow I'm going to buy fresh croissants at the bakery down the street. Yum!
I have low tolerance for people.
I'm completely terrified of being alone.
I wonder why I am doing this.
Never in my life have I had my wisdom teeth extracted :(
High school was miserable.
When I'm nervous I avoid eye contact.
One time at a family gathering we all played dress up.
Take my advice try not to worry as much as I do.
Making my bed is something I only do when I visit my grandmother.
I'm almost always sitting right here.
I'm addicted to watching old music videos on YouTube
I want someone to comment on this blog.
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Mon, Apr 14th 2008, 07:05
The AmiExpat asked, "What do you like about living in Germany?"
This is a topic I have struggled with, because I honestly do want to go back to Arizona, and I am often homesick. But it is important to focus on the positives, and I know that it has been an amazing opportunity to be able to live in Germany, so I thank you for the question!
The best way I can think of is to put it in a list:
It's green.
It's historic.
It's so close to places I'd like to travel, so it makes it seem more possible.
I am getting my wisdom teeth removed for free, when it would have cost me thousands of dollars back in the U.S.
Buying fresh croissants in bakeries.
People don't eat out as often, so I hope I will learn to cook more and save money.
Cleaner cities.
People aren't as wasteful here and I hope it would eventually rub off on me.
The Germans recycle more.
Beautiful architecture.
More things to take pictures of (Phoenix is not very picturesque).
Being forced to live out of my comfort zone is probably in some ways good for me.
I like the public transportation.
It should eventually (hopefully) lead to me learning a foreign language.
And...probably the most important reason, is that I get to be with Mike.
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Mon, Apr 14th 2008, 03:52
Small talk is something I am terrible at in English, so in German it is ten times as awkward and difficult for me.
Germans also seem to be pretty terrible at small talk. The concept of small talk is to talk about light subjects that aren't really important. Well, Germans don't appreciate superficiality, and don't like to waste time for nothing, so small talk is a relatively novel idea here.
In my German class we discussed possible topics for small talk, and where you might have to engage in such conversations. I also read a really good blog about the difficulties of making small talk in a non-native language, on the blog Life in Germany. You should check it out.
Anytime I meet new people, or visit Mike's family, I am stuck with the dilemma of trying to think of things to say in a language I am very bad at. This makes it incredibly hard to make friends, and also very hard to form relationships with his family. I mostly try to use the universal language of smiling, and make the occasional silly, one-word remarks to make people laugh. Nothing too different from what I do in English, I guess.
Hopefully as I get better at the language, I will think of more things to say, but small talk is a skill I need to work on in English as well.
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