Like a Jigsaw Puzzle.

18:43

It's the last Tuesday of July for this year and there are already signs that Autumn is approaching. The temperature has pretty much halved since the start of the month and scattered bursts of sunshine have accompanied my day.

Today, we're barely pushing past 20˚C and i've just woken up from a lovely afternoon nap.

Anyway, i can't believe i'm three days away from my last day of my B1-1 German course. If i really think about it, i think i'm actually going to miss going to class every day. Partly because yesterday, after studying after class, i actually kinda got my head around how the fourth German case : Genitive is used and what its' prepositions are. A chapter that previously gave me instant headaches.

But i reckon if i self-study and keep making an effort to practise my German through speaking, it will all snap into place.

[Some] wishes do come true, ya know.

And lately, i've been dreaming a lot in German. Whether i'm speaking grammatically correct, i don't know but those who are in my subconscious seem to understand what i'm saying.

It's definitely nice to have a fluid conversation with someone that doesn't tilt their head to the side in hopes that that would help make more sense of my sentences. If only i could remember what we talked about.

But i'm a week away from really focusing my energy on getting a job.

I mentioned before i'm in need of work but this time i really mean it.

I've also decided i really want to work at the Koelner Zoo - Germany's third oldest. Not only is it a few tram stops away from where we live but i can't think of anything better to do than if i care for animals.

I'm also hoping the job pays, even if it's just a mini job where there's a limit to how many hours one can work [40 hours/month] and i only get paid 400 Euro.

In my opinion, that's better than nothing.

But i've read somewhere that the internship waiting list can be quite long especially now that the Summer holidays have started. I've also read interns don't actually get paid anything but i could be wrong.

J suggested that during Little L's visit we go visit the zoo and whilst i'm there i can find out if there are any jobs available.

My fingers are crossed.

For those of you who've just tuned in, Little L is J's nine year old daughter. She lives in Ireland with her brothers, mother [J's ex-girlfriend] and her mother's boyfriend. I say brothers with a S because J's ex got pregnant by her boyfriend last year and she gave birth to another son in January.

I can't believe it's already been two years since we last visited them in Ireland and it's already close to three and a half years since i first stepped foot in this country.

Time has changed my perception of life but maybe it's just age talking.

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle and as tedious as it may seem to want to complete, it's the satisfaction of finally finding the exact piece to fit in order to want to carry on.

Dental Issues.

About three weeks ago i was moping around and whingeing that my upper left molars were hurting. As usual, i was convinced something was wrong.

What if my weakness for chocolate and sour candies had finally left me with cavities?

Or worse, i cracked a tooth!?

But after three days of ingesting various painkillers i decided enough was enough. I made an appointment with a recommended dentist and hoped for the best. As a resident in Germany i am forced to pay close to 200 Euro a month for health insurance and whether or not i need it makes no difference.

However, it seems like the average waiting period for a new patient to even get an appointment is about three weeks. And depending on their popularity the wait could even be longer. But it's nice to know that in case of an emergency they allow for exceptions.

I, of course, forgot to mention i was in pain when i made my appointment in grammatically correct German sentences. But was relieved i was even available to get a slot at all [even if it meant i had to wait a week].

J rang the office again, this time slightly exaggerating the truth, and said i may have cracked a tooth.

They ended up squeezing me in at 8 in the morning the very next day and my teeth/jaw couldn't have been any happier.

After several minutes of prodding around in my mouth with various tools the lady dentist tells me she can't see anything and suggests i get an x-ray.

Here's the photo i took with my hand phone whilst waiting for the dentist to return...

[click to enlarge]

It turned out, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

And her only explanation as to why i was experiencing a dull pain was probably caused by stress and unknowingly clenching my jaw.

Take a closer look and it shows i don't have any cavities either.

Yay!