What my dental hygienist says about this country

I got my teeth cleaned yesterday. I went six weeks ago for my first dental check up since we've been here and the hygienist said it had been so long since my last cleaning that she couldn't get it all done in one visit. So yesterday was my second cleaning.

As I lay back on the comfy dental chair, I asked the hygienist if I could go to sleep. Silvia had woken me up at five am and I hadn't been able to get back to sleep. She told me that if I could keep my mouth open while I slept, I was more than welcome. About that moment, her cell phone rang. She answered it and had a quick conversation about where the bottle was and how much formula the baby needed. That led to a brief conversation between the two of us about her young children and mine, and the hope that her child would start sleeping soon.

She began the cleaning, and about halfway through her phone rang again. She excused herself and answered it again. Another quick conversation about her baby, though she was definitely annoyed at being called again.

As I lay there with her cleaning my teeth, it occurred to me how strange a country this was. On one hand, it was really rude of her to answer her cell phone when she was in the middle of my teeth, but on the other hand, the priority in this country is on family and connections. I have a vague memory of her not answering her phone when it rang during my first visit It had surprised me that it rang and my expectation was that she was going to answer it, but she didn't. This time, with it clearly being a question of her child, she did answer it.

It's a strange place, this country, where people often value the person on the phone over the person in front of them - if the person on the phone is closer to them. No manners, but somehow, the right priorities.