Humble Pie, "La Gripe" and my final days in Santiago

My Intermedio 1A class: Guille from Michigan, Angela from Montreal,

Sarah from Italy, Veronica (profesora), Anne Marie from Switzerland,

and Dima from Palestine.

George and Gail, from Arizona. Gail was in my class last week.

They´re sitting in an amphlatheatre/fountain

in front of the Pablo Neruda house in Santiago.

Aloe Vera.

A weaver of chair seats on a street corner in Bellavista, my neighborhood.

A bit of a strange picture -- our clothes washer!

The orange ball is the measure of laund detergent.

My laundry, drying.

Chocolate covered marshmallows. A bag of 10 costs about $0.18 U.S.

Today I took the exam for Intermedeo 1A. Things were complicated both by my having had only one week with the class (what, my having advanced one week early to this level), and also by my being sick with la gripe -- the flu! I noticed yesterday afternoon that I was feeling absolutely exhausted, and also that I was having hot and cold flashes. Well, by this morning, it was pretty much a full-blown flu bug for me, which left me in a tough place. I was having a horrible time being able to think in Spanish, let alone remember irregular verbs or even common words that I´ve used for years. On top of that, there really was no option for me as to when to take the test. Normally, they would allow a sick person to come back on Monday to take the test. But I leave for Quito, Ecudaor on Sunday morning. It was today or nothing! I decided to plow on and take the test, seeing if I could swing a passing grade (75 or higher).

As it turns out, I did just that. I made an 83. This is my lowest grade in this program by far! But the truth is that, if 75 passes you on to the next level, then 83 is respectable. In fact, my tutor from last week and several friends on the staff of the school said, "That´s a GOOD grade, Guille! You should be very happy!" And so I am. I passed! And now I can move on to the next level of intermediate when I move to Ecuador on Sunday.

After school I came home and slept 7 hours! The "farewell party" is at the school tonight, but I just couldn´t go. Students who are departing always make a speach, and I was ready to do so. However, there was no way I had the energy to get to the school tonight, even by taxi. I´ve not even left the upstairs since I climbed the narrow, spiral staircase at noon.

Much to my delight, the director of the school called me to let me know that she was sorry that I was sick, and that I would be missed tonight at the party. Daniel just climbed the stairs to offer to drive me to the school, but honestly -- I feel AWFUL. It´s time to stay home, sleep, and try to recover. Hopefully, I´ll be beyond this before I move on to Quito on Sunday. I sure don´t look forward to flying with the flu, and negotiating airports and customs in three countries while I feel so sick (Chile, Peru & Educador). But I can´t worry about that now. Tonight, I will rest. "After all, tomorrow is another day," to quote Scarlet O´Hara. And Sunday is an other day after tomorrow. "Sufficient unto the day," to quote a more reputable source.

I thought I´d name a few of the things I am missing right now. 1. Being able to flush toilet paper! 2. Tumble-dried clothes. 3. My cat. 4. My queen-sized bed. 5. Being able to call friends and family on the telephone. True, I could do that from here with a calling card, but I´ve avoided that for fear of getting too homesick if I hear the voices of my loved ones! And finally, 6. Being able to cook my own food in my own kitchen. Funny, the every-day things you miss the most. Of course, I miss the church, my work, my life in Ann Arbor. And honestly, most of the time I´m just living my life here, not even thinking about what I do or don´t miss. I´m just living day by day. But there are moments when I think, "Gosh, it will be nice when I get to...." And so it will. Three more weeks in South America. Five more weeks of sabbatical. It will all pass quickly enough.

Take care, dear friends. Unless my health turns around, I won´t be posting anything else to the blog before I depart Santiago on Sunday. But who knows? This could pass quickly. I sure hope so!

With much love and care,

-- Bill