I sit in the mid-ship lounge, a low hum of converstion on the foreground, the familiar boat drone in the background. I take comfort in my mug of Twinings Earl Grey tea (thanks Mary) which I almost didn't bring due to packing difficulties. Such a soothing scent.
My day didn't start out the best, as I was woken up at 8:15 by the dental hygienist, asking if I was planning to come to the clinic. Crap! We are supposed to be out at the landrovers at 8:00! No breakfast, no brushing of teeth, literally just change from pj's to scrubs and off I went. Mortified as ever, this experience was exactly like what happened in my first week of work at my old office. (I got a call from the receptionist at 1:05 PM, asking if I was on my way for my 1:00 shift. - I had slept right through the morning.)
No one got super mad, but I felt sheepish.
I grabbed a pancake from the coolers at work, and gobbled it down straight from my hand. I wasn't quite awake as the day started, but I woke up pretty quickly. Plenty of extractions, plenty of fillings. The last patient of the day was a two year old who has decay in all his teeth and has been coming to the clinic every week to have a tooth pulled. Two years! All teeth need to be pulled! It was just wrong to have to listen to a baby howeling as it is given an injection of anesthetic.
Found my spirits dropping at the end of the day. I have been on such an emotional high, that I knew eventually my energy levels and emotions would crash. Got back to the ship, and sobbed into my pillow for a few minutes. Went through the photo album that Liz and S.A. made me, and put them up on my wall. (The silliest thing that I completely forgot to bring was pictures! I have my computer, yes, but no other photos to put on my wall.) After I had collected myself, I ventured out of my cabin and ran into my dutch friend Marije (Mariah). Sat down in the hallway outside our cabins and vented to her.
The sleeping-in part of this post made me laugh! (Sorry!) I didn't know that Liz and Sarahanne made you a photo album; that was sweet of them. If you want photos, tell me which ones and I'll mail them. Do you HAVE a mailing address? What do people do in the evening on the ship (or do they go off the ship)? Do they have movies or TV? Where are the other CDA's from and are they your age?
ReplyDeleteMail comes to us through the IOC (International operations center) in Texas. (See earlier post for address) The mail first goes to texas, and then they send it along in the luggage of a crew member coming to the ship from the United states. There is no actual address here. Any mail will take forever! You can try to mail, and I will see how long the process actually takes, but I will not hold my breath. Family pics, Tippy. I found one of her white undercoat hairs on one of my shoes when I was unpacking, so I sticky tacked it to my wall. See new blog post for entertainment q. The other CDA's: One from Germany(?)20 yrs, one from England, don't know age, and a dental therapist that is sometimes an assistant, who is from Australia, and I don't know her age.
DeleteCrashing and burning is pretty understandable, I think. You'll get used to things.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome for the tea. And you're a good writer! :D
Awwww. Virtual hug. It'll get better. Love you!
ReplyDelete