Recuperando (Recovering)

Hey there :)

These last few weeks have been pretty good. I didn't really talk about this in my previous posts, but I've been sick since Portugal, which was like a month and a half ago. It started as just a pesky cold that wouldn't go away (traveling didn't help much). I was feeling sick after Italy (and tired in general from all of the traveling) so in the weeks between Italy and Morocco, I tried to take it easy. I went out with friends, both American and Spanish, spent time relaxing and walking around Sevilla, went to class, but otherwise, tried to get a lot of sleep to recover.

The day I was leaving for Morocco (which was last Friday), I was still not feeling well, so I went to the doctor. He said that I had a sinus infection, but couldn't give me an antibiotic... it's a long story. So he gave me some meds for the symptoms. I went to Morocco with them, and had a great time! However, when I got home, I was still feeling sick. Anddd the food in Morocco upset my stomach. My friends and I were all careful to only drink bottled water, but we completely forgot that raw vegetables (or really, any raw food) could also upset your stomach. And of course, we ate a lot of salads while we were there. So I didn't go to school all week. Instead, I spent all week in bed, dealing with the sinus infection and the stomach problems. I went back to the doctor yesterday with Marcela (shout out! thanks again, girl), got antibiotics (finally) along with a few other medications, and hopefully I'll be back to normal this week.

I wanted to do a post about being sick because I really think it's affected my stay here - both in good and bad ways. It made me realize how much your health can affect your attitude and your energy level. And my advice to anyone traveling would be to make sure to give yourself time to recuperate when you start to feel sick. When I started feeling sick in Portugal, I kept telling myself I would let myself rest later. Which was good, in a way, because it meant I still did a bunch of stuff in Portugal, Barcelona, and Italy. But I think I paid for it later when my cold turned into a sinus infection and made me miss a week of class (and of going out and experiencing Sevilla). It also really affected my attitude about being here. Being sick made me wish I was back home, where I could be comfortable and taken care of. And while I think it's good to like being home (of course), I don't want to spend my time on this awesome adventure wishing I was somewhere else, you know?

I've tried to shift my attitude back to how it was. I've made some lists of everything I want to do with my remaining time here, made some plans for some more traveling, and in general gotten back to being excited about being here. It's easy to get down when you don't feel well, but I'm glad I'm back to how I was.

I've made some plans for the end of my stay here - can't believe it, I have less than 6 weeks left here... time really does fly. I've decided to go to Sicily after my semester in Sevilla is over. I'll spend Christmas in Sicily, and then head home on Dec 26th. I'm really excited, Sicily looks gorgeous! Thanks to Uncle John for recommending some spots in Sicily :)

I think it'll be a good way to end my four months in Europe before I start another semester of school (I.E my next adventure).

Picture (thanks, Google Images) of Taormina, where I plan to spend most of my time in Sicily. It's pretty mild in December, so while I probably won't go swimming, I won't have to deal with really cold weather.