I Have Arrived

Well it was quite the experience getting to where I am now. I left Saint John on Monday August 22nd. My flight from Saint John to Toronto was delayed 2 hours due to mechanical problems with the plane. Regardless, I landed in TO at about 6:00 their time. As I entered the baggage area I was greeted by two of my close friends Johnathan Whelly and Kevin Klin. I gave them hugs and said my hellos and then I was jumped from behind (typical) by another dear friend Keegan Whelly. As we all started talking I turned behind me and walking up towards our group was my old roommate and closest friend David A. MacDonald. My friends set their plan up really well and it was great to see all of them before embarking on this crazy journey.

Us four guys went to the Expedia Cafe in the Pearson airport, had a couple drinks and discussed old times. The boys walked me to the international gate where I met the girl I was traveling with, Kayla. I met her and her parents and they were very nice people. I said my goodbyes to my friends and Kayla and I crossed security to head to our international flight. We boarded our plane at 10:10 and we flew from Toronto to Frankfurt. The flight took about 9 hours and was quite possibly one of the worst experiences of my life. The turbulance was terrible and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't sleep a wink. When we got into Frankfurt I was obviously exhausted so I went to a starbucks in the airport and bought a coffee, it was without a doubt the worst coffee I have ever had in my life and I didnt even drink it. It cost like 5 euros too! I ended up sleeping in the airport a little bit and then went to a restaurant and bought a schnizel and potatoes, it was really good!!

After a couple hours we boarded our flight to Poznan and got in at about 6:00 Poznan time. When we got to the airport i was suppose to call my real estate agent who would get me into my apartment, however, my phone wasn't working and i couldn't make any calls. All I knew was that I was suppose to get a taxi from the airport to my address at ul. Wojskowa 8a. So I taxi'd there and the driver dropped me off in front of a gated complex (where my apartment is located). You need a code to get into the complex and clearly I didn't have that. So here I am standing in the middle of a foreign country with all my luggage and no idea what to do. I saw a very attractive blonde girl walk by so I asked her "English?" and she said "a liddle" so I told her my situation. She grabbed me, got me inside the complex and then called the real estate agent from her own phone. She totally hooked me up and it was a great first encounter with a Polish babe.

Anyway, the realestate lady came out of her office, found me and took me up to my place. I was blown away when I entered. It is so big and essentially all brand new. The lady tried to get internet for me so it would be ready when i arrived but there were a few technical difficulties and I was unable to have internet on the first night. Despite that, the first thing I did was go to the grocery store and I picked up a few small things to get me by. I slept very well that night.

The next morning the lady came over and set me up with internet. I spent that morning catching up on things and skyping my parents. Later on I went to Ikea and picked up some things to furnish the apartment. I went there with Kayla the girl I traveled with. To make a long story short, Ikea is now one of my most hated stores in the world. Terrible experience there. I ended up spending ~1400PLN (which is only like 400 CAD) I had all that stuff delivered to my place the next day.

On that next day we had orientation for the freshman bright and early. We had a welcome from the faculty and had tutorials on payments, student visas, health insurance etc. It was a good introduction to the school. They gave us a briefcase and bunch of other stuff too. Super cool

Since then I have been to the grocery store many times, been to a couple malls and went on a city tour. I even went out to a club once reserved for the freshman of the school. I have met a lot of people so far and everyone seems to be really nice. I am struggling with the language barrier a little bit but most people are good and can speak enough English to get by. The city itself is beautiful and it is beyond crazy that i now call this place home. Below are some pictures from the tour of the city I went on:

A Good Bye From The Best Job Ever

Today was my last day of work at the Fredericton Dental Center. It was without a doubt the best job I have ever had. It was so difficult to say goodbye to everyone. I truly love everyone that works there. I was treated so well all summer and it was a tremendous experience. I have such an advantage going into dental school now that I have spent the summer in the largest dental clinic in Atlantic Canada. Whats more, I learned the business of running a dental practice. This is something that is not taught in dental school. I understand the necessary marketing, the people required to run a successful business and how to manage a budget. Really an overall amazing experience. I posted some pictures from my last day below:

Jean- Guy and I

Fance and I

Jen and I

Family Farewell Party

Last night I had my family farewell dinner mom and Dad's house. We had my grandmothers, Aunt Patrica, Aunt Elaine, Aunt Cathy, Uncle David, Uncle Pete, My sister and Pat. Mom hosted a great little party for the family and it was really nice to see everyone one more time before I went away. It is really comforting to know that my whole family is supporting me with this adventure and it definitely gives me the drive and motivation to be successful at being a dentist.We are now down to my last week in Canada and getting more and more nervous as the days go by.

My Nanny Kennedy and I. The thing I'm holding says "Dr. Scott Kennedy" Given to me by my Nanny Walker. I blushed when I got it.