Moscow Musings: Happy Tooth

When was the last time you left a dentist office and said, “My that was a very pleasant experience!”? Well, that is exactly what I said this afternoon after my visit to the German Dentistry Center. The center, and especially the doctor, were recommended to us and it couldn’t be more convenient, only a ten-minute walk from the apartment. I had emailed them yesterday to see when I might get an appointment and was offered three slots today and two for tomorrow. I took the first one available today so at exactly 13.30 (this is, after all, a German office) I presented myself at the clinic and was greeted by name by Irina, the receptionist who had corresponded with me via email. She gave me a short form to fill out and then offered to get me tea or coffee or water. I was hoping for good Oktoberfest beer but settled for a glass of water. She apologized for the delay, it was 13.40, but said an emergency case had come in and needed to be attended to right away.

Irina then proceeded to ask me questions about how long I’ve been in Moscow and do I like it and where was I from, normal chitchat. I then asked her about where she was from and within two nano seconds, she presented all 4’ 10” of herself to the chair next to me with a photo album. We went through it with great detail in case I had any questions about her mother, father, or three sisters. She was actually quite lovely and very friendly. She asked if I had been to any other countries and I said I had and she asked how many. I thought she was going to hyperventilate when I told her I had been to eighty countries. She inhaled deeply and said;” I didn’t know there were that many countries”. Very cute kid, born in 1985 if you really wanted to know.

The doctor came out in his whites and his white and pink running shoes, and introduced himself and invited me to follow him. The office itself is really lovely with lots of light, modern furniture and nice paintings and plant work. I used their bathroom and it was the cleanest WC I’ve seen in years. The exam room was spotless and filled with modern equipment, not like the dentist we go to in Charles Town. He got right to work asking questions and then, as the assistant got me bibbed and bathed in light, he took a look at the tooth. “Ah, this is no problem at all!” he said to my great relief. He explained that it was a pressure crack from uneven pressure from my upper and lower teeth and that the French bread was just the final straw and I was not in any way to hold it against the French. He proceeded to file and buff the tooth and told me that perhaps in five or ten years I’ll want to replace it and if so, he would be happy to do it for me. With that we shook hands again, said our goodbyes in German and I was off to Irina to pay.

He came out with the paperwork, looked at my insurance card and then came over to me and said, “This is my welcome to Moscow gift to you, no charge. I look forward to seeing you sometime again.” That was it, no charge for fifteen minutes of work. I was shell-shocked and now you know why I left the office feeling that it had been a pleasant experience.

Earlier in the day I went out for a long walk with the Embassy as my final destination since I had to pick up my passport. Today is another beautiful day with high clouds, blue sky and crisp clean air. The temp when Cindy left for work was 33 but by the time I left the dentist office it had warmed up to 55. I got to the Embassy at eleven and I was sitting there waiting for them to process new visa pages for my passport when I looked up at the TV because I heard a familiar voice, and there was Nancy Bresell, our dear friend who is the head of the Department of Defense Education Activities in Europe. Seems they have an Armed Forces Network connection at the Moscow Embassy and she was doing a public service announcement about DoDEA schools and how they are there to serve. It was so lovely to see a familiar face on TV.

Dinner last night turned out to be a dinner party. Cindy invited the elementary librarian and his partner who handles substitute teachers to join us for dinner. It was a charming evening since they are both well travelled and very funny. I had made really nice veggie lasagna that was filled with eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, carrots, onions, spinach, ricotta, eggs, cheeses and secret herbs and spices. I love to double bake lasagna. The first time is to allow everyone to get to know one another, hello pepper, this is onion and pasta, and I’m eggplant. Once they have mingled for forty-five minutes at 350, I take it out and then rebake it about an hour before serving. I also made a big salad of tomatoes, carrot, arugula and garlic with a tangy oil, balsamic dressing and served that with crusty hot bread. It was a fun evening and I was up late cleaning up since we used all of our wine glasses, dishes and digestive glasses. At least everything is nice and clean now.

I’m attaching lots of photos to the online version of this blog since I remembered to take my camera with me today on my walk. There are too many to attach to an email so you can just click here to see them online:

www.embeesmoscow.blogspot.com

And here is a fitting ending to today’s missive. Barbara Romig sent me this from the October 1 issue of The Week magazine.

An elderly South Carolina man fought off an armed intruder using a Swiffer WetJet. Philip Graham, 71, and his wife were cleaning the kitchen floor when an unknown man in a ski mask, brandishing what appeared to be a gun, came through the back door. Without thinking, Graham used the swivel-headed mop "like a cattle prod" and shoved the thief out the door, braking off the mop head. "I hit him with the end of the pole where the Swiffer was and I just told him, 'You better get out of my house, you sorry SOB, before I kill you.'" The man fled in terror.

As Barbara said, “Perhaps there's a new slogan here - 'Swiffer - it's not just for floors.’”