the tooth fairy strikes back.

I'm finding that You and You alone...

It seems like we are hit with trial after trial here in Valencia, and I notice that each time something happens, I freak out a little bit, and then God takes care of it perfectly. The perfect example of this would be my tooth. When it initially happened, I was not calm about it. Then, I realized there was nothing I could do, and I settled down a bit. I emailed a dentist in Valencia on Saturday when it happened, and he ended up emailing me back on Sunday telling me that I could drop by his office on Monday morning to see what could be done. Well, at 8am this morning Emily and I caught a cab to Dr. Gomez's office (That was an ordeal all in itself. We didn't know where the taxi zone was at first, and I kept trying to flag down cabs that were already occupied. Then, I tried to flag down two cars that were for driver's ed. Oops!), and we were dropped off at this huge building that required us to show them our passports in order to receive access cards so we could enter the building. Up the elevator we went, and we were standing in a dentist office. Dr. Gomez and his wife greeted us; he speaks very good English, and he knew exactly what to do about my implant. He didn't even bother to take down my information before whisking me away to the chair:


The process seriously took ten minutes. He cleaned my implant, put some glue in it, and stuck it back on. Apparently he read my email this weekend and felt sorry for me, and that's why he let me come in without an appointment, even though he had to leave this afternoon for a conference! God answered my prayers beautifully by giving me this nice, English-speaking man who knew how to work with the type of implants I have! I now have a tooth again, and I can smile without scaring people with the titanium bolt -- yeah!

Emily and I headed to the university after the dentist. Most people at UPV started class today but not us. We've opted to take all of our classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays in order to have a four day weekend every week. Not a bad set up for traveling, right? We found out where our classes are and finalized our schedules. Oh, we also FINALLY met Billy today! Billy is another exchange student from the US that is going to UPV through Magellan. It was the most random meeting ever, but it was funny. We then walked back to our apartment, and I had my first experience with the washing machine. Now, you may wonder what is so hard about washing clothes, but have you ever seen a machine like this?


Yeah, that's our washing machine! It's the most ghetto little appliance I have ever seen, but it adds to the charm of our little home. You have roll it on wheels to the hook-up and then open that door that resembles a cheese grater in order to stick your clothes in. I didn't have to worry about how to work the dryer because apparently Spain doesn't believe in dryers! Everyone puts their clothes out on the line to dry. I haven't done laundry in three weeks, but really, I didn't have a lot. This is due to the fact that I've only worn two pairs of jeans in the past two weeks, and I've worn shirts two or three times. It's kind of gross, but let's remember that I didn't really have a choice!

I am getting back into the groove of being clean. I actually shaved my legs last night (I took a picture of pre-shave, but my mommy thinks it'll gross you out, so I'll refrain from sharing.), and the little forest of hair is no more! I've also started to shower again on a daily basis. When you add this to the fact that I now have a tooth AND clean clothes, it's like I'm a brand new person!! I may even straighten my hair tomorrow. I miss thin hair. I really miss my Chi.

Overall, life in the apartment is grand. A video tour WILL come when we get adequate internet. We're almost done unpacking, and our little piso is starting to feel like home. I just need to add a few pictures, and it'll be complete. It's a quaint little place that is nearly perfect for us, despite the grandma decorations and lack of heat. The only real complaint I have is that we don't know how to use the stove! It's gas. We know how to light the burners, which is great, but we can't figure out the oven. We'll master it soon, though! I'm sure. Until then, we'll just continue to make Spanish tortillas:
Basically, it's a potato omelet, and we add cheese to ours. THEY ARE THE BEST! Seriously, this is one food from Spain that I plan on continuing to eat on a regular basis upon return to the USA, and all of you that are living with me or near me in the apartment next year can rest assured that I'll be fixing these for us on a regular basis. Emily and I sort of feel like we eat like poor people here in Spain. We are abundant in potatoes, bread, and cheese, but that's ok. It's good. Plus, we have the best freaking cookies in the world (Principe!!), so we can't complain. Basically, Emily and I are well on our way to becoming the Yoshikos of Spain. We just have to perfect the flipping of the omelet, but once we do, we'll definitely be able to find jobs at Sodexho if ever needed! :)

As you can tell, God is taking care of us here in Spain. He continues to bless us in new ways every day, and although mini crises seem to hit us a bit too frequently, His will always shines through, and problems are soon resolved. Seriously, think about all of it. We came here without knowing anyone; God gave us Lucia, Alberto, and Alberto's family. We were homeless, and Lucia took us in. We looked at apartment after apartment with no luck, and then God showed us the the ideal place. We didn't have a cell phone; Lucia gave us one. My tooth fell out; God lead us to an English speaking dentist. HE HAS TAKEN SUCH GOOD CARE OF US!!! It is a wonderful feeling to know that we have a Father who cares for us and holds true in His promise to provide for us. I just need to work on worrying about the problems less and trusting more. I have an entire 4 months to improve, though. :)

Yeah, 4 months. Can you believe that it's been almost 3 weeks? I can't! Things may slow down a bit once classes start, but for now, time is flying by, and I feel like I'll be back in good ole Oklahoma in no time (Do you feel the same way, Mom? :)). For now, I should head to bed. I have to face the real world in a few hours, where I will be forced to remember that the main point of this trip is to study; it's not all fun and games after all! I feel kind of silly dreading school tomorrow after all of my friends were forced to return weeks ago, but let's remember that since I took summer classes between my freshman and sophomore year, this has been the longest break I've ever had during college, and I've loved it! Anyway, that's all for now from Valencia. I have a tooth, and I'm about to return to school. Love you all! If you're in Missouri, be safe with the ice, and enjoy your days off because of it!!! Scholars House kids, I hope you get power back soon because I miss our nightly chats!! :) besos!

...can break my fall.