Blech. Being Sick in Italy.

EH.
So it seems i have contracted some awful virus/infection that has completely made me unable to hear, talk normally, or breath without wanting to cough or blow my nose. My apartmentmate Jamie i believe is the one i got it from, and since it took her about 4 days to get better, well shouldn't i feel great by now? This nyquill thing is truly getting on my nerves, however the good part to that would be the way that finally me, Meg, I am the one to get a good nights rest. or sleep. from the alcohol or whatever is in nyquill that lets you pass out for 8 hours. A flip side to the situation, but the snoring situation has not changed. When i am better i will find the energy to find some earplugs.

Being sick in italy is so different, than say when you are in the US. This also is partly dependent on the school... grr. In the us, say when I was at wheeler, if i felt sick and could barely keep my eyes open at school then i could go take a nap, talk to a teacher, and make up the work. Go home, get better. At rice, hey... you're in college now, you are a responsible adult. If you miss class. You're fault, get the lecture notes, and make sure you catch up with the professor. Here at saci, there is the most strict attendance policy. No unexcused absences, and if you are skipping for a medical reason, it has to be one that needs a doctor. So, the flu and a fever doesnt cut it. You still sit through your lectures for the week. One kid tried to go to the doctor when he had a fever earlier this week, and the guy said- haven't you heard of advil? and the poor student was just like, yeah, and i need to go rest so could you sign this and let me get some SLEEP??? So weird. I understand that studying in Italy is not a vacation, but still- if they fail their classes... it's their fault and that if a student taking say their friday classes pass/fail- I truly feel that they should be able to skip one friday in order to take a trip to Venice or Milan or Munich or Paris etc. to experience the whole studying in europe.

Ok. back to being sick.

In the US. The brands of soups vary extremely from can to carton and condensed to ready made, to add water to soup in a cup. And the price is cheap cheap cheap. Here, soup gosh darnit is expensive, and the choices range from... potato soup, ribolleta or minestrone. Not that they aren't fantastic.

And the Ribolleta is not AMAZING (florentine soup made over 3 days with bread and veggies)

but... dude. i just want some turkey or chicken soup. Some cheap BROTHY soup. How hard is that??? They don't even sell broth. So i'd have to go to the market and find scraps and boil them myself to get broth... not something i would ever do when sick.

What do the italians eat when sick you say? I am convinced that they too love brothy soup, however because they have the comfort of usually not living too far away from family, whether extended family or your parents, your relatives would be more than generous in boiling up some scraps from the smelly meat market for your sore throat and fever.

One more comment on being sick in Italia. WHERE ARE THE TISSUES???? Seriously. I was told to cross town over the bridge to find the american store- which i will NEVER go to while here to find them. So, i felt like asking this nice chinese girl working in the supermarket- so where do you buy your hankercheifs, and is there a pocket protector for the hanky from my snot?? - i know rude right...

I think a nice glass of chianti and some pasta i have in the fridge with some minestrone i bought will be a nice touch- then a movie, some reading and some nyquill. OH italy. What have you brought me. LET ME GET WELL, so I can experience the entirety of VINCI- the Home of Leonardo DiVinci (of Vinci- get it? get it?) -This weekend.

Ciao for Now...