So really, I haven't done much this week, because I've been sick. How boring, I hear you say. Well, you're completely right, but I didn't really have much of an option. That sniffle that I had on Tuesday was a bit more than a sniffle... I didn't go out to F's house that night because I wasn't really feeling up to it, which was a bit disappointing, because she had a party and it would have been fun. Oh well. I don't know what I did for the rest of the week... I think I had a dinner or two with K, and didn't really do anything over the weekend. I was suppose to go to T's house and have a look at the bikes there, but I slept all weekend and it just didn't end up happening. I feel bad about having been such a flake, but such is life.
On Monday I had language class, and I don't know what else I did. Probably not much. By this point I'd gotten into the habit of afternoon naps in order to survive, so I bet that was on the cards.
On Tuesday I had language class, and then I ate the biggest and best (and most expensive, at 5 Euro!) salad I could create. Thanks, Mensa, you saved my starving self yet again. S came home from Scotland with a gift of Twinings Lady Grey tea for me, so I was one very very happy person. That night I went to the Eurobiz office at 10 because everyone was predrinking there before Markandu. I took one bottle of beer, more for the sake of not having to explain why I wasn't partying than for any actual drinking. I wasn't really feeling up to it, but it was nice to go for the sake of being sociable. When everyone caught the bus at midnight I decided it was well and truly time to head home - the cold air was hell on my lungs, so I developed a nice cough. Charming, I know. K was nice enough to walk me home before heading into the city himself. I was pleased to be able to crawl into my bed.
On Wednesday was class - S gave me a patterned cotton scarf, which was really sweet of her. I think it was because I'd been sick for a week. I felt a bit embarassed, though - I'm not good with things like that. I met F for lunch in the Mensa. It was lovely to catch up - I hadn't seen her since our chance meeting at the train station. So we caught up, and had coffee afterwards, and wandered home. We walked to her house, which is a bit out of my way on the walk 'home' so I went to Netto in the city and got a couple of things. K came over for dinner and I'd made the browned flour stew that mum's Granny Jane used to make. Or, rather, my own version of said stew. It was delicious, and S ate with us too, which was nice. K and I were both really tired, so after dinner we just lay on my bed for a while, watching movies... and fell asleep. You know you're tired when you fall asleep in your jeans! I woke up at about 11pm and got changed into pjs and went back to sleep. K left at about 4am (he can't sleep for long because of his back, and I'm surprised he could sleep for that long in jeans!) and I felt bad that he wasn't feeling good, but he assured me that he was fine once he got home and had his painkillers. So it's not like I was depriving him of sleep.
On Thursday I had the language class, of course. K had said for me to message him if I needed to see a doctor, but I was feeling a little better, so I didn't... which was unwise, because I started feeling wrecked again by the end of the class. I was glad to go home, really. Caught the bus to the city from uni after having a walk around the sport centre. I went to Backfactory for a snack and then to Netto for a few items. I had a few hours at home and ate some bread. I've been eating heaps of bread rolls lately, they're delicious! And lots of white rice too, so my stomach is settling down a little. There's a lot to be said for soluble fibre first when you have an empty stomach! Less growling, that's for sure. Anyway, I went to yoga class that evening from 5:30 to 7pm. It was good - slow and stretching. I felt like a bit of a tard for not knowing what the instructor was saying, but it'll be good for my German.
I had a missed call from K while I was in class. It was nice to be thought of - I think I needed the social contact after feeling somewhat isolated in a room full of women and yoga mats. He'd had a bad day at work, so we talked while I was on the bus home (yep, buses again! It's becoming a pattern...) and then made plans for me to go over to his house for dinner at 8:30. He likes to eat much later than I do, but it worked out ok because I didn't want to eat before yoga, so I was starving. We made That yellow curry, which was pretty tasty, and I headed home about 11pm. I was already exhausted, and was tired of sniffling all day - I knew it was time to get some sleep. So I came home, and went to bed.
This morning I didn't get up at 7am like I should have; I wasn't feeling too good. Albeit better than the other morning when I felt like I was going to throw up, but still not good enough to drag myself into the shower. (For the record, the shower works wonders when you feel like you're going to throw up. It works wonders for most sickness, physical or emotional, actually!) So I slept until 9am, planning to go to class at 11am, after the break. I sms'd K at 9am, asking him if he could take me to the doctor, which he'd been threatening to do all week. He called me straight away, and said he was about to go to work and would make an appointment for me for sometime in the afternoon. So I went to the language class, where I discovered that I'd been missing important information about Modal verbs, and just generally felt stupid. I couldn't even understand what the teacher was saying. It was a relief to leave - K had messaged me to say he could only get an appointment for 12:30, so I left the class just after 12 to meet him at quarter past.
So, walking to the Doctor, I discovered that in Germany, one needs one's health insurance documents. Christ. Definitely not like the electronic system in Australia! So we went there, and K sweet-talked the ladies at reception (ok, slight exaggeration, but he talked to them in German on my behalf) and they said they'd still fit me in that day if I got my health insurance papers and got back there before 1pm. That left me half an hour to catch the bus home, get my papers, and walk back to the surgery. I was in a panic the entire time, in retrospect. I definitely didn't want to have wasted K's time, or have to wait until Monday to see a doctor. So I made it there just before one, met K again, and he helped me fill out the necessary form. I was weighed and had my height measured by a nurse, who then took my blood pressure - she asked K later if I was nervous about being there because my pulse was racing. I had him explain that I'd just walked there... half-run there was more accurate, but hey, such is life.
So, that's when I really began to waste poor K's time, because I had to wait for an hour to be seen by a doctor. Both of us had hungry, growling stomachs. Anyway, when I got in there, the Doctor spoke English and was a lovely old man, whose name I don't think I ever learned. I explained how I'd been feeling like death, and that my sinuses and throat were giving me grief, and got the usual 'open your mouth and say "aah"', stethoscope on the lungs, and "oh yes, your throat is rather swollen" treatment. I also had a blood test, which was a pin prick on the finger (I explained that I was extremely bad with needles) and it was a bit embarassing that I was such a wuss about it. Either way, I didn't pass out, so that's promising. The results only took a few minutes to come back and I found out that I had a bacterial infection and got a script for some antibiotics. K took me to the pharmacy and explained how the health care system works - you send them the bill for the doctor and they'll pay for that and most prescriptions. Winner. So I was 25 Euro out of pocket in the pharmacy, but I'll get it back.
After that, K went back to work and I went to the library to meet M, who is from the Czech Republic and wanted me to look over a document she'd written in English. It was actually a cover letter about a conference being hosted, and I was pleased to be able to help. She had brought me an apple as well (she was eating one too!) which was absolutely brilliant because I was starved. I should make a sign: will work for food! I was really glad to be of some use, and she was absolutely lovely, plus the project she was working on was a good idea. So I just edited the letter with her, and then caught the bus home.
Back here, I ate the leftover stew and bread rolls that I had, and I was thinking about going to the supermarket for some bread and vegetables... but I'm not sure now. It can wait until tomorrow. I should be going to Pilates tonight but I'm feeling tired and I think I can afford to just give myself a night off... which is what I plan on doing for the next couple of nights, actually. This weekend is just for recovering. There's a couple of things I'd like to do on Saturday night but we'll see whether that works... maybe just no drinking. I don't think antibiotics and alcohol are a clever mix, somehow! The doctor said I should drink lots of tea and definitely no cold water. So I think tonight I'll try out the green tea that I bought at the supermarket the other day.
I think I should do something for K to show my appreciation for all his patience today, because I realise how it was a total pain in the ass for him. But the problem is that I don't know what; if it were one of my close friends at home, I'd know exactly what to do to show my appreciation. But here, with people that I'm still getting to know, it's more difficult. I don't know, I'll think about it. In the meantime, it's time for some green tea.
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