Recuperating

I'm spending the day in bed. I noticed over the weekend that I was starting to get a scratchy throat. Yesterday my eyes felt watery. And today when I woke up, I felt a tightness in my chest. I'd say it's official that I'm coming down with a cold. Larry thinks we caught it from a taxi driver. He said his is gone, that it moves quickly through your system. I hope so.

I dropped my clothes off at the laundry this morning and then went to the cafe next door to it and studied a little. It was there that I decided I wasn't going to school. I sent Anna a text so that she would know where I was and also advise Fernanda that I wouldn't be in because I was sick (I am a very responsible student). I just hope Anna told Fernanda - well, no big deal.

After the cafe I went to the Farmacity, the drugstore, to see if I could get some cold medicine. I was totally confused about what things were. While I sort of understood the labels, none of the medicines had all of the symptoms they treat, nor did they have directions on the label. I stood there wondering if I really felt bad enough to need medicine and decided to wait and see how I feel tomorrow.

Instead I went to my little video shop and rented "Volver" - they didn't seem to have many Argentine films, but mostly American films with Spanish titles. I figured at least I could watch something in Spanish, even if it was from Spain.

Then I went to the supermarket and got a package of vegetables cut up for soup. They sell these nifty packages that have a variety of vegetables cut up to make soup. I also got a package of Knorr minestrone. I boiled the vegetables a little, added the minestrone mix and it made a perfectly yummy vegetable soup that I'm sure is better for me than any of the cold medicines at Farmacity.

After eating my soup, I took a little nap and then watched Volver - three times.

I watched it once with no subtitles, and while I understood the story, more or less, I felt I was missing some important details. Mid-way through, I figured out how to add Spanish subtitles, which really helped (I saw that the Spanish subtitles were sometimes different from what was being said - what was written, I understood, what was said, I didn't - meaning I'm not that familiar with Spanish expressions from Spain).

At the end of the movie, which was quite subtle, I thought maybe I had missed something. So I watched it again from the beginning with Spanish subtitles. Ah, it was more clear the second time.

But still feeling like I might have missed something, I watched it a third time with English subtitles, but only from the middle.

Now I can probably act it out from memory.

So, after a full day caring for myself, I feel pretty good. I think Larry might be right that this cold moves quickly. Or else I caught it in time and nipped it in the bud. I have my first tango lesson tomorrow after school, so I want to be sure I'm feeling up to moving around for one hour. It should be intense because it will be in Spanish and it will just be me and the teacher. No slacking like I can get away with in San Francisco.

I'm in for the evening. Latin American Idol airs tonight at 10.

I have to say, even being sick, I like it here. It was more convenient for me to get groceries and a DVD here than it would have been in SF, where I would have had to get into my car, deal with traffic and parking and all that. Everything I need is within a one block radius here. The laundry is two blocks away. The maid comes every Thursday. Ah, this is the life!