It was just as I had feared. Oh well, I know I couldn't avoid a sinus infection for much longer. I'll spare you the mucousy details, but I was just feeling, for lack of a better word, icky. On Wednesday I was very low energy and the same on Thursday with the addition of feeling lightheaded. Amy (the program coordinator) heard me saying I wasn't feeling well and she got me a doctors appointment for the very next day! Since we first arrived, they've been telling us to be extra cautious when we don't feel well because Madrid is so contaminated. This doctor, unlike the doctors at UHS, understood me saying that I have a history of sinus infections ans this is always how they start. I got a prescription for 24 doses of Augmentin and some fizzy tablet that he said had properties of Mucinex and acetaminophen. I went to the "farmacia" on the end of my block not sure how long I was going to have to wait or how much I was going to have to pay. To my great surprise, I didn't have to wait at all! And they charged me €9.58/$13! I know its payed for somewhere else, but theres socialized medicine for you (I think...).
I am feeling much better now, but I had all these grand plans for studying that has not gotten done. However my body was telling me I needed to rest as much as possible. I'll get back on the study train tomorrow, my exam isn't until the 11th.
Classes start tomorrow for Reunidas, so there will be an update about that. Wish me luck for getting up on time for my 8:30 class. ¡qué asco!
Besos!
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
A much needed day off
Yesterday, I finished with all of my Reunidas classes for the semester by taking two exams and tuening in a final paper! Feeling quite satisfied with myself, and with some convincing from my Mom, I decided to have a day without schoolwork. Outrageous, I know.
This morning I got up, ate breakfast, and took myself to the Museo del Prado. Using my "in the middle-ish of 5 metro stations" location to my advantage, I wakled to Quevedo and hopped right on the 2 to Banco de España and the Paseo del Prado. On the walk towards the museum, there was a man playing the saxophone for money and his dog was howling along; it was a really sad sight. I wandered the museum, plano in hand for probably about two hours. I did the usual round through the most famous works, being surprised by the size of Las meninas (Diego Velazquez) and El 2 de mayo and El 3 de mayo (Francisco de Goya). I was plesaently surprised by all the paintings I recognized and was able to identify. While looking around the museum shop, an image in a book in the childrens seciton caught my eye. The book? La pequeña oruga glotona. In english: The very hungry caterpillar. !!! It is very likely that I will end up purchasing it at a later date :)
After walking arouns so much, I was getting really warm so the cool outsode air was very welcoming. Sort of looking for la Calle de las Huertas, I went up the first street I would and ended up up by the metro station Anton Martín and not exactly knowing where I was. All that I had to do though, was find a street map and pull out my trusty compass to find I could find my way up to La puerta del sol quite easily. When I got back to my apartment, it was definitely time for a siesta that ended up being two hours! I probably needed it. I have been feeling a little iffy all day but hot water with lemon and honey have helpes with that *knock on wood*.
Tomorrow after the práctica section of my Spanish Lit class, it will be back to studying for my exam for that class. It isn't until the 11th of February, but the new semester of Reunidas courses starts on Monday and I'd like to have some work done before then.
This morning I got up, ate breakfast, and took myself to the Museo del Prado. Using my "in the middle-ish of 5 metro stations" location to my advantage, I wakled to Quevedo and hopped right on the 2 to Banco de España and the Paseo del Prado. On the walk towards the museum, there was a man playing the saxophone for money and his dog was howling along; it was a really sad sight. I wandered the museum, plano in hand for probably about two hours. I did the usual round through the most famous works, being surprised by the size of Las meninas (Diego Velazquez) and El 2 de mayo and El 3 de mayo (Francisco de Goya). I was plesaently surprised by all the paintings I recognized and was able to identify. While looking around the museum shop, an image in a book in the childrens seciton caught my eye. The book? La pequeña oruga glotona. In english: The very hungry caterpillar. !!! It is very likely that I will end up purchasing it at a later date :)
After walking arouns so much, I was getting really warm so the cool outsode air was very welcoming. Sort of looking for la Calle de las Huertas, I went up the first street I would and ended up up by the metro station Anton Martín and not exactly knowing where I was. All that I had to do though, was find a street map and pull out my trusty compass to find I could find my way up to La puerta del sol quite easily. When I got back to my apartment, it was definitely time for a siesta that ended up being two hours! I probably needed it. I have been feeling a little iffy all day but hot water with lemon and honey have helpes with that *knock on wood*.
Tomorrow after the práctica section of my Spanish Lit class, it will be back to studying for my exam for that class. It isn't until the 11th of February, but the new semester of Reunidas courses starts on Monday and I'd like to have some work done before then.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Serious crunch time and early spring in January
Fact: I've spent more time in the library than in my apartment (not counting sleep) for the past 2 days. Had/have a lot of reading to do for literature, 3/5 pages down on my linguistics paper, what do you mean I have two exams on Monday?! Having both of my exams for my Reunidas classes on the same day will be a royal pain but then I have nothing but my Complutense class for the rest of the week so at least I have that to look forward to. I won't be able to get as much work done tomorrow, but that’s because we'll be busy having our final rehearsals for the one-scene plays that my theater class it putting on! The performance is tomorrow night and I'm pretty stoked to see the progress that everyone has made. Then there will be workworkwork all weekend. Así es la vida...
Health and safety update: I've been eating a lot of vegetables lately but I almost gave myself quite a cut on the finger today. Uh-oh! However, I did buy a new vegetable peeler today so the carrots were much less labor-intensive.
I now know the reason why there is so much dog poop on the sidewalk! Apparently there used to be bins with baggie dispensers but they were taken down. And people are starting to complain. I really hope they do something about it, había un truño gigantesco en la acera hoy y casi arrojé!
The weather here has been so un-January like as opposed to what I'm used to. For example: right now in Madison its 13 degrees at about 5pm and tomorrow at 5pm here it is predicted to be 42 degrees. There might be some issues come next winter :O
For the last day of my Comparative Syntax class we talked about Spanish "refranes", sayings. One I particularly enjoyed was: "Si quieres peces, hay que mojar el culo." Literally: If you want fish, you have to get your butt wet. In other words, get to work! A nice message for me now, but I'll be going to bed first.
That’s all for now. My life is currently studying and thus not terribly interesting, but I'm hoping that will change once the next semester gets going.
Besos!
Health and safety update: I've been eating a lot of vegetables lately but I almost gave myself quite a cut on the finger today. Uh-oh! However, I did buy a new vegetable peeler today so the carrots were much less labor-intensive.
I now know the reason why there is so much dog poop on the sidewalk! Apparently there used to be bins with baggie dispensers but they were taken down. And people are starting to complain. I really hope they do something about it, había un truño gigantesco en la acera hoy y casi arrojé!
The weather here has been so un-January like as opposed to what I'm used to. For example: right now in Madison its 13 degrees at about 5pm and tomorrow at 5pm here it is predicted to be 42 degrees. There might be some issues come next winter :O
For the last day of my Comparative Syntax class we talked about Spanish "refranes", sayings. One I particularly enjoyed was: "Si quieres peces, hay que mojar el culo." Literally: If you want fish, you have to get your butt wet. In other words, get to work! A nice message for me now, but I'll be going to bed first.
That’s all for now. My life is currently studying and thus not terribly interesting, but I'm hoping that will change once the next semester gets going.
Besos!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Back in town
My current thought is that the jet-lag is hitting me harder the second time around. It could also be true that when I first got to Spain I was so stressed and anxious that I couldn't help but sleep. The four nights I've been here it has taken me a LONG time to fall asleep after getting in bed. Its getting better, and so is the barely being able to get up in the morning because my body thinks its 2am. In the end, I'm really glad that I went back to the states.
Even though everyone is stressed now because of final papers and exams looming, its good to be back in Madrid with the WIPT family. Speaking of which, the spring group arrived today! We'll meet them at a lunch this Saturday; it will be interesting to find out how our experiences will be different and how they will be the same.
There probably won't be a lot going on until at least the end of the month; I've been spending most of my free time during the day in the library. I do plan on posting more often though! I also found the photos that were hiding from me so there are new things to see on my flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blairklost/
Feliz año! (...tarde, todo aquí es tarde)
Even though everyone is stressed now because of final papers and exams looming, its good to be back in Madrid with the WIPT family. Speaking of which, the spring group arrived today! We'll meet them at a lunch this Saturday; it will be interesting to find out how our experiences will be different and how they will be the same.
There probably won't be a lot going on until at least the end of the month; I've been spending most of my free time during the day in the library. I do plan on posting more often though! I also found the photos that were hiding from me so there are new things to see on my flickr page.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blairklost/
Feliz año! (...tarde, todo aquí es tarde)
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