Santander, 4th week

spinning: BT - Love on Haight Street

Uuugh. Everyone in class was dead today, for various reasons. Most were hungover. 4 or 5, myself included, got sick this weekend.

Friday Trip to Salamanca went just fine, if a little long. Once you leave north Spain, it all looks like Texas and/or Mexico: in some areas flat, grassy and covered in wheat farms, in others arid and rocky, almost desert-like. We stopped for lunch in a very Mexico-like place, god-knows-where on Earth we were, it could have been anywhere. Salamanca proper was neat, toured the cathedrals and the university before being turned loose for the night. A wild night it was. By 9pm I met up with Soph in a cafe, thankfully we lived close together (it turned out my hotel was across the street from her apartment). She gave me a thorough tour of the town, and we together got dinner, coffee, drinks in an Irish bar along with her roommate, and then went to what had to be the best club in town that night. All of Salamanca's breakdancing crews decided to show up and we were entertained by people serving each other all night. I have Soph a good night hug at 4:30am before walking myself home... across the street.

Saturday AM: Soph comes over to the hotel to steal breakfast and say hi to the UT profs (she had had both during the spring). That might have done me in, because by the time I arrived in Leon during the afternoon I felt sick. Suffered through some tourism then confined myself to a hotel room for the night. Thanks to Montiel's help, I at least had my own room. He was willing to give it to me even without telling him I was sick. What a guy. Regardless, I didn't feel up to see the celebrations outside, even though I would have had a great time amidst all the cultural happenings going on that night. With a bottle of Gatorade and a Spanish Jackie Chan movie (that took place in Japan), I was asleep by midnight. Sunday was more tourism and a torturous bus ride home - between the sickness, motion sickness, and not having eaten anything in 24 hours, it was easily my worst day here. Thankfully, once I got in the door my family shortly followed, and I've started feeling better since they've taken care of me. Luckily, here I've learned to like chicken noodle soup.

I feel a little better still today - went to class without problems, and I'll probably go out again soon to buy a replacement toothbrush (since I lost mine) and get some stamps to finish off my postcards. Started looking for flights to Ibiza for my final adventure here, but they're really expensive right now so I'm waiting for a couple days in advance to pick up some cheap tickets.

Lesson of the story: getting sick in Europe inevitably happens, and it really sucks, but the only option you have is to try to move on as best you can. The adventures I did have this weekend with Soph are well worth writing home about.
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