Braces

Yet another adventure in South Africa... After 18 years of having my braces off... am I really that old?.... I got half a mouth of metal back in May. Yep. Three months ago the wire that was holding my teeth in place, for those glorious 18 years, broke while I was in Metz. Around the COS conference I had an orthodontist appointment. After taking off the broken wire and seeing that my bite just needed a little tweaking, there was a consultation with Melissa (the PCMO, Peace Corps Medical Officer) and Dr. Heloise, and I got braces put on. It was actually a pretty nice day.. Melissa sat in a chair next to where I was and watched as they glued all the little brackets in place. She kept saying funny things. I kept trying not to laugh. Then we went to lunch and stuffed ourselves full of nachos that taste like ones in America and Chai Tea.
My two favorite responses to my braces by people in Metz? "Man, you white people do some crazy things" and "Oh Mmapula, they are beautiful! Do you get to keep them forever?"
I'm happy to report that thanks to a mouth full of copper and steel my teeth are almost back to normal and I'll have a brand new permanent retainer in place when I head to COS in September.