La Baja Medica

Hey Hey Everyone!!

      So update on my back situation, I went to the doctor today after a rough Monday (more on that below), and he's referring me to get rehabilitación (my guess, like physicial therapy), and no work until I finish it, 15 days minimum. With Christmas Break creeping up I get until after New Years to get better (YAY!)

   I'm really thankful that the doctor is giving me the time to recuperate, because getting home almost crawling/crying is not the business, not to mention feeling embarrassed you're the youngest one on staff side and you're limping around practically needing a cane. 

Monday, for example, in the morning I was fine, or at least as fine I can get in this condition. Monday also happens to be my longest day of work for the week, so even though I had just come back from a few days of bed rest, it still was too hard of a hit to my recovery process. So at the end of the day, after taking the second dose of medicine that I'm on, the effects of the medicine didn't really kick in when I needed them to. This left me in a lot of pain for my 40 minute commute via bus/metro/walking home. Given the pain that I was in, I guess I wasn't paying that much attention, and I fell off the bus. Yes, you read that that right, I fell off the bus. For as long as I can remember I've had bad ankles that roll all the time, and on Monday when I stepped off the bus my ankle rolled and there I fell. No worries though, I'm fine, at first glance so far it hasn't made my situation any worse, so I guess just another bad luck situation. So all I need to do tomorrow is call in to school and see about getting them the paper that says I'm supposed to rest at home and figure out how to get my paycheck then keep on keepin' on with the HEALING PROCESS. 

In other funny, semi-related news....

  Yesterday I played poker with my roommates and their friends being accommodated in a different chair that was more comfortable than the rest given my situation. I felt fine sitting there so I thought maybe everything was okay, but it was a BAD IDEA. I was in alot of pain last night and therefore couldn't sleep and went to bed at 9am after my morning dose of the medicine I'm taking. Well the mix of sleep deprivation/meds made me KNOCK OUT! Actually I would probably call it a coma, because I would think if I was knocked out I would have woken up by...3 maybe 4 pushing it. What time did I wake up, you ask? 6:30 PM! The only reason I woke up at this time was because my roommate came to my room to tell me I had some mail!

A very wonder blogger/auxiliar friend Jules decided to be wonderful in my time of need and send me a present from where my raices are from, EL SALVADOR!  

MUCHAS GRACIAS!

The M key-chain is to represent the new last name she's baptized me with (Murillo Maradiaga de Vega) because I have a very "apple-pie" name :) 

I'm also very grateful for this gift because my doctor's appointment was for 7:10, and if my roommate wouldn't have come come in to give me the envelope I probably would have still stayed in my pain induced coma and wouldn't have the peace of mind I have at the moment or be writing the blog now. Since I was all panicked and rushed over to the doctor, I didn't even realize until I was on my way home that I had put on my pants inside out. I just smiled to myself and went on my merry way....recovery soon to come!!

Just a little backwards
(Source)

Thanks to everyone who's been supportive of me and sending positive thoughts, and thanks for READING!

Until next time,

Cathy 

The Moment Has Arrived

Hey Hey Everyone!

    So the time has finally come, I am here in SPAIN!! After a long while of not having internet due to waiting on buying a EUROPE/US power adapter, I can finally give a semi update of life on the other side of the world. 

The adventure started Monday as I was nervously packing my two suitcases with clothes I would have for the next year in Spain, tearing heartstrings as I saw the things I was leaving behind (and asking to have sent to me later jajaj). And of course since I leave everything to the last possible minute, I didn't get to sleep more than 45 minutes before it was time to make the trek at 6am from Palmdale to LAX. 

My nerves were on pins and needles as the Air Canada employee checked the scale as I put my bags on. The first 51 pounds (AHH!), but she let it slide... (that would be due to my shoes lol)...the second 45 lbs, I guess Top Ramen weighs less than flats.  After that I was reassured my luggage would be waiting for me in Madrid, and that I wouldn't have to spend my 2 hour layover in Toronto running around from baggage claim and customs and such. Speaking of customs... what disorganized mess in Canada (no offense) they were taking a random 10 people in at a time and trying to calm down people who weren't even complaining lol.

So after a 6 hour flight to Toronto and an 11 hr flight to Madrid (which ended up being longer because there was traffic at the Madrid airport and we circled in the air above it for half an hour). I didn't have much luck sleeping on the plane, after sleeping what I thought was a good while, I would wake up and convinced that we had to almost be there because I slept so long, only to find out that I'd only slept 50 minutes and we still had four and a half/ seven/ two hours left. I did end up watching Water for Elephants, and was too tired to watch anything else but apparently not tired enough to fall into a deep sleep jajaj.

I was also blessed to have the help that I do here in Spain. The coordinator for my school had told me she would pick me up from the airport, and arranged for me to rent a room from her sister (her neighbor) while I did my apartment hunting. When I told other auxiliares of this at the seminar at USC everyone was like WOW so lucky...and I truly am...I arrived in madrid, got the stamp on my visa, and went to get my luggage. As I passed through the Arrivals threshold I saw people holding little white sign's with names of those who they waited for, but my name was not there. I waited around in the crowd for a little while before panic started setting in. Since the plan the whole time was for me to go with my coordinator, I didn't have any place to go, or any idea of how to find an alternative. Since the last few days before leaving were crazy I didn't get around to sending the email that I wanted to get her phone number and give her mine, and just double check on all the details. The only number I had was for the school (which was on holiday the day that I arrived so that wouldn't have done any good anyway, lol figures...) So I went into freak out mode for about 2 seconds until I saw a machine that  I could connect to the internet with. Sending her an email was my last resort,. The machine charged 2 euros for half an hour, more than enough to do what I needed to do. There was no card slot, only for me to enter the information for my card, so I did...and it was rejected (Major Freak Out Moment!)  Another Blessing... my mom when I had got accepted into Spain gave me a 2 euro coin she'd had saved in a drawer. I put it in the machine and jumped right on my email. She'd already emailed me with her number and that she was at the airport.

We finally united and she took me to the cute room that would be my own for the next two weeks or so. Not too much adventure/exploring has gone on as of yet, since I'm still a mess with the 9 hour time difference and allergies, but I'll update soon.

Thanks for reading and don't forget to check out this month's Reader Spotlight if you haven't already, next one gets chosen Oct. 1 :)

<3 Cat