Greetings from the Land of Rain. Which we've been getting plenty of. I hope everyone is well back home. I miss home so much. You are so lucky to be around your families & friends. And even though I've made good friends here and have grown to adore this host family of mine, there's still that piece in my heart that's missing, and I want it back. Now! This program really is lovely, but I think if I were to ever return to Europe, it'd be on my own terms..Like a backpacking trip or something. This program is so cheap and you get a lot for what you pay for and you make great friends and memories, but it's nonetheless, tough. That is only Europe though. I think I'd do the program again and go to Thailand or Mexico. Europe just gives me this out-of-control sense of adventure and freedom. And having to listen to rules about curfew, talking to boys, or not being able to go out anywhere alone, is definitely the opposite of freedom. And I'm not going to lie, it makes it even harder that I have to answer to a girl whom is 2 years younger than me. That shouldn't make a difference, but it does..
For example, when we stay in hostels we are always meeting so many diverse people from all over the world. And usually the first question is, "Do you want to go to the bar with us tonight?" Haha. Which is totally fine. I've come to accept that most people in Europe drink. A LOT! And I've also learned not to tell them we aren't allowed to drink on our program contract. Because that usually makes them want to hound us even more to drink. So I've learned to just say "Nah, I'm good. I just want to take it easy tonight." And it usually works. You get some very disapproving looks, but it doesn't matter. Anyway, I met 2 nice guys from India while I was in Prague, and we sat in the common room of the hostel and talked for a few hours! It was so nice. They were very intelligent and nice. The other girls went to sleep while I was talking to them, and they eventually invited me to go on a walk with them and their friends (girls, too) to the Charles Bridge, which is the most beautiful bridge ever and has a lot of statues and things on it, and a nice view of Prague. I wanted to go so bad! I wasn't tired and it just sounded so fun to go out with these new friends I've made. These new friends who actually DON'T drink. They had to have been the first people I've met in my hostels that don't drink. But, guess what? I couldn't. Even though they were harmless, I can't go out anywhere alone, so I had to pass on this and it really upset me. I could have had the chance to make some really good connections with these people from across the world. (connections are good. This is how people travel so cheaply, sometimes.) But as I passed it up, they thought it was really strange that I'm 21 years old but basically have to follow the rules of a 15 year old. But oh well. That's the price I paid for coming to Europe so cheaply.
To answer the title of my post, those are the remedies I took today to get rid of my food poisoning/flu (not sure which one it was.) I woke up at 3:30 AM with a painful, churned stomach. I ran to a grocery bag I had laying around (our toilet down in the basement is broken, so I couldn't use it) and vomited my life away. It was awful. My roommate woke up with such a fright that I feel like she thought I was literally dying. It was so violent and loud. That's the worst part of throwing up, is that there is no way to do it quiet or classy. I got all of it out, and laid back down to sleep. Dreadfully, I woke up at 9 AM with the same feeling. Only this time nothing would come out. It was so painful, but even though I dry-heaved over the bag, nothing came up. Probably because my stomach was so empty from the first session. I tried to sleep more, but it was just painful. I had a slice of toast, but I had to waste it because I had NO appetite. I couldn't decide what it was. Kelby & I had eaten the exact same food for dinner and lunch, and she wasn't sick. The only explanation was this can of frosting I had eaten with some cookies after dinner. This can of frosting was at least 2 weeks old and had been sitting out for that long. I thought it might be like Nutella, which doesn't have to be refrigerated. But since food over here is generally healthier, I'm guessing it didn't have any preservatives in it, and the milk in it probably went very bad. I didn't even consider this. I gobbled that whole half-can down. Gross. I asked my host mother to make me some tea (mint herbal tea) it's SO good. Well, she said that she was going to make Black tea instead because it is good for illness. It was bearable, but tasted quite like liquefied horse hay. I drank all of it anyway, because it just felt nice. Then she brought out these tablets that she had that were literally made from coal. Yes, the kind of coal you put in your fire. They are supposed to suck the poison completely out of you, and are so good for you. Of course they would be, wouldn't they? Leave it to coal to actually be healthy. Haha. I thought "how is this fine? to actually ingest coal?" (mind you, it wasn't actual coal, just tablets made from it.) But I took them anyway, with a large gulp of H2O, and laid back down to rest. I woke up after a few hours and felt a lot better. I threw up a few more times (sorry for all the detail) and now I feel so much better! I felt bad that my head teacher had to take over my teaching today, but it obviously would have been a disaster if I had gone to school. These Lithuanian remedies, haha. It was actually really nice to have my host mother there. I'm so grateful for her. She's so sweet and kind. I don't know what I would have done if I lived in the apartment without a host family. I would have been more miserable than I already was, I'm sure. It just reminded me of being with my own mother. My mom always had home remedies up her sleeve. Anyway, if you ever do find these coal tablets anywhere (I'm not even sure you can find them in the U.S.) just know that yes, they actually work! I promise I will write some posts about my backpacking vacation I just got home from. I have zillions of photos to post, you just wait. I hope everyone back home is healthy and happy. Know that I miss you all every day.
Love Shelb xx
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