Chapter 93: The One Where I Go to the Dentist

The Dominican Republic is a foreign country. For us. True, it’s the third country we’ve visited, but The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos didn’t really feel “foreign”. Everyone spoke English and it felt similar to the US. The DR? Not so much. Obviously for starters, Spanish is THE language and most people do not speak English. Do we speak Spanish? Not so much. But not for lack of trying. When I was practicing in Seguin, I had a fair number of Spanish-speaking families, so I tried to learn the language, so I wouldn’t have to rely on a translator. I tried. I really, really did. Duolingo? Finished it. Rosetta Stone? Finished it. Babel? Finished it. Can I speak Spanish? Nope. Now, show me some written text and I can probably work it out. But ask me to try and construct more than one sentence in present tense and I look like a deer in the headlights. The take-home for me is that unless I have to listen to and speak Spanish every day, I’m never going to be fluent. Fortunately, what little Spanish I have has allowed us to function at a basic level. Most important phrase? “Despacio por favor.” (Slowly, please!) Another thing that makes the DR seem foreign? Cost of living. Things here cost FAR less than in the US. We bought two tomatoes today for less than a dollar. Piccola (our dinghy) got some chaps for sun protection for $800. That would have cost over $2,000 in the US. It was done in 3 days. In the US, it would have taken 2 months. Finally, a big difference is the driving experience. Let me ask you: if you were driving down the road near your house and you say a woman driving a motorcycle while holding an infant, what would you do? What about a dad driving one with a toddler sitting in his lap? And no, there are no helmets. I’m thinking many people would contact the police. It’s just not done. Here? It’s the norm. Motorcycles are the way most people get around (although in rural areas horses and donkeys are common) and there are a LOT of them. And they weave in and around cars and trucks, pass in narrow spaces, and pull out whenever they want. For me, driving here is a white-knuckle experience. And I want to be clear: this is not judgement on my part. The DR has a far different culture and a far different resouAnd that’s okay. In fact, it’s why we’re on this adventure-to see how people live in other places. It’s fascinating, but also sometimes really intimidating.

Speaking of intimidating, let’s get to the title of this post: I have a toothache. Not cool. I tried to ignore it, but after two days, it was still there. I decided I had better get to the dentist. Now, most people really don’t like going to the dentist (I’ll admit for me it’s not that big a deal). So imagine going to the dentist where you don’t speak the language. Yeah. So I call a dentist with the hopeful name of “Miami Family Dental”. Turns out the dentist trained in Miami. Win! The receptionist doesn’t speak English but says I can come that day. How about tomorrow? Yes. What time? Tomorrow. Right, but what time? Tomorrow. Nine? Yes. Okay. Do you want my name? Date of birth? Proof of payment? Description of problem? Nope, nope, nope, nope. Okay!

I show up at nine the next morning. There are 3 people ahead of me because there are no appointments-it’s first come, first served. We wait. When it’s my turn I go in. It’s not the English-speaking dentist-she’s away. It’s someone else. Super. Well, “pain” in Spanish is “duele” and “tooth” is “diente”. That, combined with pointing gets the point across. After some tapping and scraping and probing and an x-ray, I’m done. Turns out, it was my dental implant that was the source of the pain. He thinks perhaps some food got stuck down there. No need for a root canal or an extraction, which were things that were haunting me. Away I went. Total cost for the exam and the xray? SEVENTEEN DOLLARS!!!!! Overall, a good experience. Two thumbs up. I got a precautionary suggestion for antibiotics if I need them, but I’m waiting, because it’s better today. But if I need them, guess what? They’re over-the-counter here, along with most medications. And did I mention they’re cheap?

We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto.