《海外来鸿》美国大学生访问中国以及厦门亚欧齿科的感受

——Alvin：卡耐基-美隆大学，匹兹堡，美国

    China is an amazing country that is full of culture and experiences. I am an American, and my only trip to China left me wanting to go back again in the future. My itinerary was a cross-country trip, allowing me a full 14 days to experience the tranquil beauty of Shangri La to the modern charms of cities like Shanghai. One of the most memorable experiences that I had though, happened not in the idyllic streets of Li Jiang, nor in the bustling street of Nan Jing Jie in Shanghai, but in the beautiful sea-side city of Xiamen.

The city was meant to be a short 2-day stop, but nothing prepared me for the unexpected - on my flight to Xiamen, I developed a severe toothache, which caused me to have trouble even opening my jaws the slightest. Before my plane landed, I knew that I could not wait to return to the United States for treatment - I had to see a dentist, and soon. Thankfully, my hotel''''''''s front desk staff knew of a good dentist that she recommended. It was Yao Clinic, and I made an appointment to see the dentist that very day.

Ashamedly, before I got to the clinic, I was afraid that the level of service would not be as good as I was used to in the United States, and in a way, I was right. What I experienced at Yao Clinic was different from what I had imagined, but not in a bad way. On the contrary, I have never experienced such high levels of service before. When I arrived, the receptionist greeted me cheerily, and in English too. I had to wait for a dentist, but Yao Clinic had a waiting area, and I was happy to see a public computer there that I could use. The day''''''''s news at CNN occupied my attention, but it was not long before the clinical assistant approached me and told me that the dentist was ready to see me.

Now, Yao Clinic was miles above and beyond my imaginations. I was expecting a basic, spartan clinic, but Yao Clinic had glass and white marble floors, and looked every bit like a world-class medical institution. When I was led into the room, I found out from the dentist that each room was named after a city in the world. I was allowed the room named "New York", which was a nice touch because of the reference to an American city, and made me feel that much more comfortable. Not only did the environment assure me in the professionalism of Yao Clinic, but the dentist also stepped me through my diagnosis, and the procedure that was to be performed, in a simple, professional manner that I had no trouble understanding. It turned out to be a cavity that was the cause of my toothache, and the dentist fixed me up in no more than 25 minutes. The high levels of professionalism and medical care surprised me greatly, but what really surprised me though, was that when he said that it would not hurt - it really didn''''''''t! This had to be the most pain-free dental procedures that I have went through, and I am absolutely impressed with the level of dental care that I received. Needless to say, that made the rest of my trip in China possible, and thankfully, it was uneventful for the rest of my journey.