“Another one bites the dust…”
I guess if I had to pick any week to get sick, this would have been the one. Because none of my classes start until tomorrow (August 4th), the past seven days were meant to recoup, prepare for school, and enjoy our last official days of summer…well, I guess winter.
All my close friends and family know that I get bronchitis twice a year. We don’t know why, but the virus never fails to strike (yay!). Of course, I have a routine when I’m back in the states: become symptomatic, see my doc, get antibiotics, and feel better within five days. Once I realized that I had developed the deep cough and couldn’t move from my bed, I panicked. What was I supposed to do in a foreign country? I had been planning to visit various hospitals to volunteer and shadow doctors, but I didn’t want to be a patient!!
Stop. Wait a minute.
I had a moment of realization as I sat in the emergency room of the Hospital Aleman (a private Argentine hospital close to my house). Everything ached, I could barely form complete sentences in Spanish, and I didn’t understand the system for being called to see the doctor. For the first time since being here, I realized I wasn’t going home…5 months was actually 5 months and Holy Cross and my family in California were not right around the corner.
Of course, I got through it. The physician I saw was very helpful and after a week of rest and lots of vitamin C, I’m happy to say I’m healthy!
Nevertheless, this would not be one of my blogs if it did not include a funny story. Right as I’m beginning to feel better and regain my sense of stability in my Argentine environment, I come home to quite a frustrating predicament. Manu (the 200 pound family dog) has eaten all 30 protein bars I brought from the United States. And he has not only eaten the bars…he has managed to consume the plastic wrappers and cardboard packaging as well.
Manu, after eating 30 protein bars
In this moment, I learned a very important lesson (which I am sure applies to everyone studying abroad). There is going to come a time in your experience when you feel like everything has been stripped away. Those comforts from home that you relied on are gone and it’s time to switch to “survival mode.” This isn’t vacation–this is you living in a different country. And while it can be intimidating, you’ve got to go out and find a routine. You’ve got to search for those people and places that will make you happy and bring you a little sense of home.
Fortunately, this week ended in one of those places: Magdalena’s Party. This wonderful, little restaurant is only a 10 minute colectivo (bus) ride from my house and offers the best American Sunday brunch! I’m thinking it may have to be be a weekly staple as I continue my journey here in Buenos Aires!
Thanks for reading and wish me luck with classes this week!
Besos,
Haylie 🙂
This week I learned…
- that the Argentine cure for a “sore throat” is 2 spoonfuls of miel (honey) and half a lemon. Mix that together, add a sprinkle of cinnamon, and you’ll be feeling better in no time!
- that I cannot keep any kind of food in my room. No matter how high I put it, Manu will reach it…and eat it.
- how to add minutes onto my ancient dinosaur cell phone…I go to any farmacía, give them 20 pesos, and voilà! I can now text and call all of my Argentine friends and familia.
