Being sick changes everything. Things that are normally not so hard, become more difficult. Being sick in a foreign country, where they speak another language, really raises the stakes. It's not the first time for me, and things aren't really that bad, but ...
I thought I was out of the woods yesterday. The cough had died down, and I didn't feel feverish in the late afternoon when fever usually hits me. I ordered chicken soup without the chicken (because I don't like chicken that's been boiled too much) and asked for just vegetables, but not too much. I got a side of rice, figuring it would fill me up.
My chicken soup ended up looking more like carrot soup. They must have put a pound of carrots in it. And it had noodles, which I didn't want, which I didn't have the day before. I can see I have to be REALLY specific, but I'm wondering if that will even make a difference.
After I ate my soup and drank my rum, I started feeling my chest filling up. The later it got, the more I started wheezing. I wasn't coughing yet, but there was definitely fluid building up. By the time I went to bed, I sounded like someone who smokes three packs a day. I couldn't fall asleep.
It was a very restless night. I wasn't feverish, but I was hot. I was wheezing and coughing and trying to produce some phelgm to cough up, but nothing. The cough syrup I got didn't really help. I eventually took a Tylenol and eventually did fall asleep for a bit and had some crazy dreams.
When I woke up, I felt ok, but now I was very mucousy. I blew my nose many times. My mucous was clear, which is good, but I knew all of this could get into my lungs and cause problems.
First I took a shower and in the shower coughed up a big wad of phlegm. That was a good thing. I need to get this out of my respiratory system. I went downstairs to get a tea and sandwhich, which has become my morning routine.
There's a little coffee shop on the first floor. The guys that work there are for the most part typical Dominicans (based on my experience with Dominicans) - meaning, they act like you are bothering them. There is one guy who smiles, but the other two seem very bothered by the presence of pesky customers.
Today, there was a woman. She was extremely pleasant. I even felt comfortable asking her for a larger cup when she put my tea in a small cup. And she gave me an extra cup because the tea was hot, and the large cup is not well insulated (I don't know why).
I came back to my room and got on to UBER Eats, and ordered some daytime and nighttime multi-symptom cold medicine like the stuff I have at home and could have packed. I had a cough before I left, but rather than packing anything, I threw a small bottle of Tylenol in my bag at the last minute in case I woke up feeling stiff like I had been. I just wasn't thinking. So thank God for Uber Eats. I really don't want to go out looking for medicine.
My driver arrived without incident and I saw that I'd only gotten 6 doses of each. 6 doses of the nighttime medicine is enough, but for daytime, I may have to order more. I expect to need at least two doses per day. I may have to order more.
After I popped two pills, I went down to the pool. The maid was in the hallway and she asked if she could clean my room. Yay! It meant that I could come back early if I wanted to. I really like this maid. She's very helpful and friendly. She's the one who found toothpaste for me even though I didn't need it. I don't know if I'm supposed to be tipping her, but I want to give her something extra. I'll figure something out tomorrow because I think she might be off on Tuesday when I leave.
I had to change where I was sitting because there was a guy smoking a cigar at the pool. Seriously, what is up with these smokers?
A little before noon, I decided to order my lunch. I ordered some fish tacos, figuring they are borderline healthy, light, and better than yesteday's disaster of a burger.
There was a new pool guy today who was very friendly and spoke to me in English. Feeling emboldened by this new ability to communicate freely, I asked what was in a large pitcher they were filling up. It looked like coconut. He offered me a taste and filled a glass, and as he went to hand it to me, held up a finger "wait" and threw in some ice, and then another finger "wait" and he put a celery leaf on it as a garnish. I tasted it. It was coconuty and refreshing. It had a little sourness to it. I asked what it was and he said homemade coconut milk. I wonder if that's all that was in it.
After I ordered my food, he asked if I wanted something else.
"No, just that."
"Maybe a drink?"
So I said, "How about some of this?" holding up the glass he'd given me.
"Oh, that is for someone." but then he said they could make some for me and asked if I wanted rum or vodka. It was 11:45 a.m., but I am on vacation and the alcohol might help kill this bug. I told him rum. He said it would be like a coconut mojito.
I was excited.
I went back to my little "cabana" and waited.
My tacos arrived, but no sign of a drink. I waited, and it never came.
It's ok, because I had buyer's remorse. My dinner last night of soup and rum was really expensive, not because of the soup, but because of the rum (it was expensive Cuban rum). I am trying to be conscious of how much I'm spending, and throwing money away on alcohol always feels wasteful to me.
Finally, at about 1:00, I was feeling hot, there was no breeze and I was restless and wanting to lie down in the coolness of my clean room. There was no sign of my drink, so I got up and went to sign my check. He never mentioned the drink. I guess I misunderstood, or he forgot.
As I entered the hotel, I stopped at the coffee shop. One of the unsmiling men was there. I asked for a mint tea. "Te de menta". He said, "Te de menta?" not understanding what I was saying.
Ok, so this is a coffee shop. They sell coffee (cafe) and tea (te). What did he think I was saying? I repeated. "Te" stopped and then said "de menta". He forced himself to understand, but it looked like it really took him a lot of effort.
I came up to my clean room and it feels so good. There is one mystery though...
There was a Dorito on the floor on the way to the door. The bag of Doritos is next to the TV. I had some last night, but if I'd dropped one and the maid cleaned my room, she surely would have vacuumed it up. So did she grab some Doritos on her way out?
I kind of hope she did. The bag is enormous, and I'm happy to share.
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