Sickness Abounds!

Everyone is sick! First, our friend Celia. Then Emma, then victor and now me. Celia and Emma got sick around Friday. Then, Victor got sick late on Friday. On Friday it was raining all day, so we mostly stayed inside. I was glad we had a spare bedroom Friday night, so I didn’t have to sleep in the den of sickness with Victor and possibly catch what he had. Saturday was beautiful, but Victor had to stay inside because he was sick. I wanted to avoid all of this sickness so I tried to stay out of the house on Saturday. I was taking tons of vitamins, Echinacea, yin chao, remedies, OJ, tea, lemons, honey, etc to boost my immune system. I went exploring alone around Pontevedra and had a nice time.

First I went across Puente de Barca into the city and checked out some discount stores. I found an awesome little place that had tons of house supplies for cheap and I got a spatula, a knife and a garlic press… I was pretty excited about it. After that I went into the old section of town and just sort of moseyed about slowly making my way over to the University of Vigo, which is across the river on the north side of the city (Our house is across the river on the east side). I wanted to check if there were any postings at the University for an ‘intercambio de idiomas’ or ‘language exchange partners.’ I would like to find a partner to practice Spanish with who also want to practice English during the time that I’m here. Although I am practicing Spanish when I go to the store or the bank and when I hang out with Spanish friends, I’m also speaking a lot of English while I’m at school and when I’m at home, so I think this would be a good way to practice.

As I made my way over to the other side of the city, I walked through a few parts of town I had never been to before and they had a lot of interesting things to offer. I found spots in the old quarter that seemed to be bustling with people while the rest of the city was taking a siesta. I found an area that had a lot of colorful and creative graffiti art on the walls (there seems to be a lot here) and a lot more young people than what I’ve seen in the main tourist areas. I found a tattoo shop (maybe for when Micaela visits?) and when I crossed the river I found a open air flea market (yay!). The market was right near an interesting modern-designed bridge called Ponte de Santiago. I walked through the flea market and saw all the faux designer bags, piles of shoes, dresses, clothes, bootleg DVDs, socks, etc. and found myself a lovely black  purse. I had been looking for a new one because mine was falling apart and leaving bits of its flesh all over the house; needless to say I was happy to find one that was fully intact. I also picked up a few DVDs.

ponte de santiago

I only had a general idea of where the University was, but didn’t really know if I was in the right area. It was also Saturday, so I wasn’t sure if it was open either. I walked in confusion in a more trafficy and less-populated area for a while before I decide to go back into the city.

When I crossed the bridge back into the city I walked to a falafel joint to eat lunch. After that I went to find a pharmacy to get some medicine for Victor, but alas it was siesta, so just about the entire city is dead. It’s funny how you are forced to rest in Spain. Resting is weaved into the way of life. Don’t get me wrong, it’s really a great thing, but it’s hard to get adjusted to as an American. You don’t realize how, in contrast with Spain, constant work is weaved into American society. I’m always thinking about what I need to get done and when I can’t do it because it’s 2:00 and everything is closed I feel uneasy, the only thing I can do is go home and relax, but It’s actually hard to do when you know you need to do things.  It’s the same thing on Sundays. It literally is the day of rest, not just for God… for everyone. It seems like in the US you really really have to work hard to deserve your rest. Here in Spain, everyone deserves a rest. I thought Carrefour, AKA the wal-mart of Spain would be open on Sundays, but when I went over there today, it was totally cerrada.

Anyway, after I realized that the pharmacy was closed I had some coffee at a café and then went home. Victor was sick in bed and after siesta, I went back into town to get some medicine for him.  

 

Me and Vic, pre-sickness, out for tea and coffee

When I came back we decided to watch one of the bootlegs I got at the market. I bought ‘Machete’ and ‘Get him to the Greek.’ So first we tried Machete and sadly It was over-dubbed, very poorly I might add, in Spanish. I thought they would have Spanish subtitles, but both of them were over-dubbed. Oh well, I guess it’s a good resource for practicing comprehension, but it’s just not what you want to do when your sick and just want to relax.

As bedtime rolled around I started to feel my throat succumbing to the evil forces. My stupid immune system lost the fight, I was becoming sick. Today Victor and I have just been lazing about the house watching movies.  On the plus side Victor doesn’t feel like a leper anymore and we can hang out again because I’m not trying to avoid the sickness anymore. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

Sick Sunday

Our street