And we're back

Well, I've been here all along. Just not here. My schedule has been a little more busy than normal, but surprisingly I don't have much to write about. The highlight of today was getting my health insurance coverage worked out. I registered for the social health insurance a little over six months ago and thought I would receive my insurance card a few weeks ago when the six-month waiting period ended. But when the card didn't arrive and I received no response to my email inquiry, I knew I was going to have to visit the office. It's a real pain because it takes an hour to get there and I knew I was going to have to wait a long time. And then finally after the waiting, I was going to have to talk to someone in German. I wasn't as worried about the talking part as I was worried about the understanding the response part.

When I arrived I pulled a number and started the long wait. I was number 57 and they were helping number 25. Since it was lunch time and a lot of offices are closed from noon to 2:00, I spent the first half hour wondering whether they would close for lunch. They didn't close and I only had to wait a little over an hour before it was my turn. I explained the situation, and except for the part when I asked the woman to repeat the information faster rather than to repeat it slower, it went off without a hitch. I received a temporary card and was told that the official card would arrive in the mail soon.

I suppose that eventually I'll stop marveling at the fact that I can get important stuff accomplished in German, but for now, I'm still pretty impressed with myself.