Enferma

2015 appears to be not so great for my health. In January, I dealt with norovirus and an upper respiratory infection. From June until mid-October, I had a rash that just wouldn't go away. Turns out it was an allergy, but the substance is unknown because I was unable to get an allergy test before I left the country. With my use of allergy tablets, the rash has subsided, and I still don't know what I have an allergy to. Fast forward to week five of my study abroad experience and I had another fun time being sick once again. So much for getting the most out of my experience abroad.

Unfortunately, what ever I had was pretty awful. I ended up leaving my night class on Monday early, and not heading to my first class of my new Spanish class the next morning. Despite being sick, I battled though the rest of my classes that week, mostly because I did not want to miss my class' field trip to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights. The timing was also poor because it kept me at my homestay on Halloween, my favorite holiday. Though Halloween is not really a holiday here, younger generations have begun to celebrate it due to the influence of the US. Instead of going out to see how Ticos celebrate it, I was stuck at my homestay alone. After a couple weeks, I had made a full recovery (or at least I thought).

I will say that thankfully, medicine did help for the most part. I ended up getting some pills for my runny nose, sore throat, fever of 102 degrees F, and other stuff, as well as some cough syrup. It's interesting here. In order to buy these meds, I had to go to a pharmacy. Here, they don't just sell them in a supermarket like they do in the states. If I were back home, I could head to Target and pick up some ibuprofen and some day quil, but here, I have to ask a pharmacist for pills and then pay by the pill. There aren't just X-count boxes you can by. Despite the difference in obtaining the medicine, it worked just like that in the US.

At the same time, I was prevented from engaging in Halloween festivities with friends outside of my homestay. Never to fear, Netflix is here! I ended up having a "Halloween" movie marathon with some snacks while laying in bed: American Horror Story (not a movie, but appropriate), Beetlejuice, Donnie Darko, among others. Despite the limitations, I had a good Halloween anyways.