la gripe

Tos + dolor de garganta + estornudo + congestión = una receta para la gripe.

I have lived away from home since I was fourteen, thus have become accustomed to taking care of myself when I get sick. Because I have essentially been taking care of myself for the past seven years, I have forgotten how nice it is to be cared for by someone else.

It started as a slight cold when I got back from Chile, but only proceeded to get worse and worse. I began sleeping as much as eighteen hours throughout the day, my sinuses started acting up (as my family will tell you, they always do…), and developed a wicked cough that would wake me up in the middle of the night. I get these standard colds all the time, but when this one started getting worse I began to long for the care of my mom.

Luckily, it’s not as if I’m completely alone here in BA. From the moment I started getting sick, Silvia immediately became re preocupada and went above and beyond to take care of me. She began insisting that I allow los vapores decongest my system (by sticking my head over a pot of boiling water), and made me comforting meals such as sopa de miso.

Unfortunately I missed out on a trip to Rosario this weekend, but Silvia’s comfort made me realize how grateful I am to be in such a loving home. I have been here only a little more than two months, yet I felt as though I was being taken care of by someone who has known me for much longer. Porteños sometimes get a bad rep of being cold, dismissive, and unfriendly, but I find that if you choose to reach out and form relationships with them, they will show you a warm, cariñoso side that will allow you to see the world from todos lados. I didn’t even realize that I was 6,000 miles away from home, because the love and care I received in this foreign country was all the same.

It’s true: I really do feel at home.

Chau,
audgentina.