It’s been over a week since I arrived, and it has been quite an exciting week. Last weekend Paula arrived and we woke up bright and early Saturday to go to the Queen’s birthday celebration. She celebrates her birthday alongside thousands of her nearest and dearest who join her for a parade called Trouping of the Colour outside of Buckingham Palace. The streets were lined with guards, as marching bands and caravans of soldiers marched down the street to welcome the Queen. In the Queen’s honor, horses were far from shy as they defecated all over the streets prior to her carriage coming down the road. First a carriage with Kate, Harry and Camilla came down the line. Kate was of course wearing a fantastic head piece. Then the Queen, clad in her finest powder blue suit, followed in horse drawn carriage. It was quite the site to see.
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| Paula and me at Trouping of the Colour |
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| Sup Queeny |
In continuing with our regal day, Paula Alley and I went to Hyde Park, for none other than the World Naked Bike Ride. At first it seemed like an ordinary Saturday afternoon. But as the crowd grew, and the clock struck three, the master of ceremonies announced that clothes were now optional. People of all shapes, sizes, and girths began to disrobe and reveal themselves to all patrons. Shame was something that these folks were not familiar with, as they had no problem exposing themselves to thousands of strangers. Incidentally, most of the participants in this epic bike ride, celebrating the human body and protesting the excessive use of oil, were men. As in the popular film Eurpotrip, I’m sure most of them were disappointed when very few women participated alongside them. The funny thing is, many of the participants were using Barclay’s bank rental bikes that the rent all over the city. I had a hard time not laughing when I saw men in three piece business suits riding the same bikes that men rode in their birthday suits just one day prior. For their sake I hope they get themselves tested for a myriad of venereal diseases. I would also like to give a huge thank you to the Jewish Mothers and others who had the good foresight to circumcise their sons. It appears that the majority of Londoners did not have that good notion, and left their sons uncut. Though some may prefer a little extra skin, in my humble opinion, it is entirely unnecessary, and rather frightening. The phallus may not be the most appealing sight, but left uncut it is quite ghastly.
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| Some of the more refined participants of the Naked Bike Ride |
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| A lovely day for a cycle in the park |
After having our fill of nudity for the day, Paula and I went on to Harrods, the famous department store of London. It is a magnificent store with floor upon floor of overpriced articles that only the select few can afford. Some may condone spending 500 pounds on a bejeweled blouse, but I for one find it absurd. I will however be accepting applications from anyone interested in being my life partner and expensing a lavish lifestyle that I can certainly learn to love. Following our browsing we went up to Hampstead where we saw an original play called ‘A Big Day for the Goldbergs’. The town was adorable with windy streets, cute restaurants, and shops. The play was about a Jewish family and their two daughters, Michele who was fed up with living with her mother and not pursuing her dreams, who went on to join the circus (naturally); her sister who was about to be married to a wealthy Mr. Levine.; and their mother, a divorcee yoga instructor having a difficult time with empty-nesting. Paula and I may have been the youngest in the crowd, but the play was wonderful and full of slight Jewish humor.
It wouldn’t be an Anna Richlin trip abroad without an incident (or two or three) of chaos. Sunday morning I decided it was as good a time as any to do a load of laundry. I gathered up mine and Paula’s dirty clothes, put them in the washer, set the cycle, and let it go. I noticed that while the washer was spinning, there was no water in the machine. I tried to unlatch the door, but of course it was locked, so I went on with my business, and let it run it’s cycle. I came back to see it was still on 1 minute, indicating it had one minute to go. 1 minute passed, as did 2 and 3, and I realized that this cycle was not about to end. Sans freaking out, I noticed a number atop the machine, and I called it, hoping whoever was on the other line could help me fix the machine. I gave them the symptoms of our apparently ill machine, and the woman on the line explained that the water was probably not hooked up. Being the self-reliant woman that I am, I took matters into my own hands (instead of hiring the $140 engineer) and found the water knobs under the cabinet, I turned them on, and heard water flowing. I felt vindicated as I thought I had just fixed the machine all to myself! As I looked down to the floor, I noticed the apartment was, rather quickly, filling with water. Of course, it couldn’t be that simple. This is when I started to freak out. After several dials to our program supervisor, he finally assured us that he would contact someone to fix it, and it would be done Monday. 5 days later and still no working washing machine. Alas, there is never a dull moment.
Monday I started my job at the Dental office in Hammersmith and it was very exciting. I am quickly learning all about the National Health Service, with respect to British Dentistry. Though British citizens get medical expenses for free under the NHS, dentistry is slightly different. Each tax-paying citizen is entitled to NHS dental benefits, yet they are limited. Under the NHS there are several brackets of dental procedures for which certain services cost a particular fee. However, the grouping of procedures allows patients tremendous services for a small fee. Though this is good for the patient, the dentist is left underpaid. For example, in a period of three months if someone needs 20 fillings, a root canal, and certain other services, everything would only be 47 pounds- which is rather ridiculous. Also, patient care for NHS patients is quite different. For example, a routine dental exam for an NHS patient is 15 minutes, while a private patient would get 30 minutes, allowing for more time with the dentist, more detailed explanation, of procedures etc… NHS patients are also limited in the types of materials used in procedures, for example, only private patients can get white fillings, while NHS patients must get amalgam (silver or gold) fillings. Needless to say there is quite a difference in benefits one gets from the government, versus out of pocket.
I spent the first day shadowing the receptionist. I learned how to use the software, make recalls, answer phones, etc… I am finding that although this office has 9000 patients, maintaining clientele requires a lot of chasing. After calling over 50 patients for recalls, I only scheduled 1 appointment! And dozens of people requested being removed from the registry, not because they were disappointed with their experience at this office, but rather because it is not as common here in London to stay with the same dentist. Rather, people often go from dentist to dentist as there are thousands of dental practices in this city. This eliminates the opportunity for a greater doctor- patient relationship, and the ability of the dentist to reference the patient’s history, etc…I find it quite different from the states where most people have a regular family Dentist. Also, most people do not have regular hygiene appointments, perhaps because it is not covered under the NHS. Only a basic scale and polish is covered with the exam under NHS, and a full hygiene appointment is only available privately. It is even difficult to get patients to come in for regular 6 month exams, which is only 17 pounds under NHS. People here simply do not care as much for their oral health as they do in the states. Remarkably, most of the patients I have seen do not have tremendously crooked teeth, though I have seen plenty of people in the streets in dire need of orthodonture.
My second day I spend at their City office, which caters to only private patients and sees a more upscale level of patients. I shadowed the dentist there for the day, who specialized in invisalign. The first case I shadowed was an invisalign case, which was fascinating. In just a year and a half’s time, this patient went from having crooked teeth and an improper bite to having a beautiful smile- all with no metal appliances in her mouth. The Dentist showed me the software that comes with the invisalign cases which was fascinating. The Dentist sends in models and pictures of patient’s teeth, and the software develops computerized models of the teeth, along with an entire treatment plan outlining the progression of the invisalign treatment, concluding with a nearly perfect smile. Patients are given new aligners every two weeks to gradually correct their smile. It is really quite remarkable, and I hope to work with invisalign in my own practice some day. Later I saw a more lengthy case where the dentist was fitting a crown and doing 2 fillings. She first had to remove the temporary crown, fit the new crown, then cement the permanent crown in following a series of steps of cleaning, and prepping the tooth. For the fillings she actually used a rubber dam to section off the teeth she was working. I had only seen rubber dams used for root canals before, so that was an interesting technique.
That night Paula and I went out with some of our new friends on our program, which was very fun. We got dinner at a cozy pub, and continued on a pub crawl. I really like the people I’m becoming friends with on the program, and look forward to spending the next several weeks with them. At the last pub we were at we were all sitting around minding our own business, when two blokes strolled in and invaded our space with a boisterous ‘We found you!’ as they pretended they were out mates. We played along and made some new British friends as we played a silly game with them where one person was picked out of the circle, had to stand in the middle, bust a move, then pick someone new to publicly embarrass themselves with their sexy dance moves.
Wednesday we had out fires day of class with our witty professor Clive Bloom. He is quite entertaining and I think our class is going to be very casual and fun. He explained some basic differences between Brits and Americans, and showed us some key elements of British culture including tabloids, clad with naked women on page three. We then watched a murder mystery film, exhibiting British humor and cultural elements.
Yesterday I was back in the Hammersmith office shadowing dentists and nurses (aka dental assistants). I saw several exams, a couple cleanings, several fillings, and more. I was again exposed to NHS and private differences, such as length of appointment, materials used, etc.. Many NHS patients surprisingly opted for private options, particularly for fillings, as most would inevitably prefer the natural looking white fillings to the antiquated silver fillings. I am slowly learning the typically procedure for fillings, including prepping the tooth, drilling the damaged area, using etch to erode the damaged area, rinsing off the etch, filling the tooth with the composite material, using the UV light to set the material, shaving off excess with the drill, and smoothing the newly formed tooth. Each case is slightly different so I’m obviously learning varied techniques every day, and still understanding all of the intricacies. Later in the day I saw my first root canal, which was pretty interesting. I’ve always heard root canals are boring, but it was pretty interesting. The dentist first drilled a large hole in the root canal and removed the temporary filling. She then stuck little probes in the tooth with precise measurements, and placed tiny points in each hole she made. After the tooth was filled with tiny points, she used a hot rod to melt the points into the tooth and it became a sticky orange glob. She then placed a post in the tooth for further support. Ultimately she essentially did a composite over the root canalled area to seal the tooth. In my understanding most root canalled teeth usually need to be crowned because they are very susceptible to fracture. I hope to continue to learn various techniques in general dental procedures. Perhaps this exposure will give me a leg up in dental school.
Today I didn’t have work, so after sleeping in Alley and I explored London more. We went to the National Gallery where we saw beautiful paintings including Van Gough’s Sun Flowers, Seraut, Renoir, Degat, and more. I even got to sit in on a mini lecture on a Rembrandt painting, and did a guided sketch. We then went to Fortnum and Mason, an exquisite gourmet department store with three floors of sweets, produce, and other treats. Though pricy, I picked up a few delectable items, along with several free samples. We explored the streets of Soho for a bit, and I’m now in my home away from home, Starbucks.
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| Produce in Fortum and Mason |
There’s something about walking to the tube at 8 AM, listening to Adele, and cramming into a crowded subway that makes me feel like I’m really part of this city. I’m learning so much so fast, and truly immersing myself in the culture. Standing pressed up against strangers, looking up into another man’s armpit may not be the most glamorous thing, but for some strange reason the mundane aspects of daily life in London what makes this life, life; and I’m loving every minute of it.
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| Traditional Fish and Chips |
Cheers.
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