Life in a Day and Antibiotics To Go... Ramblings...

With the holidays here, now is the time to try and relax. And eat. And smile, and try not to stress. 

Hi Mom!

If I can make a suggestion that is funny, sad, touching and real, go online and spend the time to watch the movie ‘Life in a Day’. (Click to play).  Make sure you check out the interviews a year later, particularly the gentleman and his son from Tokyo. It will make you appreciate your life. I found it uplifting and inspiring.

Perhaps being here in Costa Rica without the normal stresses of this season allowed me to observe this movie more openly. This movie highlights those around the world who submitted video to the editors from one particular day last year. The moving images are real or contrived, deeply poignant or just plain dumb. Watch it if you have not, for it may help your perception of the world change for the better, to be able to relate in some small way to how others live. The goat farmers in eastern Europe are particularly amusing to me. Or maybe it’s just the goats. They make cheese (not the goats, the farmers, although I suppose the goats give the milk).I hope you enjoy it!

I woke up yesterday morning after a restless sleep with something new attached to my body. I had thought that I would have to buy another bag to put some extra stuff into for my return trip, but the bag that had formed under my left eye will probably do the trick. My eye was puffy and almost closed, and I thought at first that a spider or some nice insect had decided to establish its home inside my head. Then, after an hour and some food, the tooth pain became wonderfully sharp, and the pounding inside my head was drowning out the voices that I usually hear.

But tough me just took a couple of Advil gelcaps and napped and got up again and thought the bag would go away, which it did, as long as I found a way to roll up the bag under my eye. The pain remained. I found that walking with my head sideways helped to move the bag into a better position in order to see clearly Once this was established, although it may have looked somewhat strange I was able to carry on with my day. And eat, and walk around Grecia. And observe Christmas in Central America. More on that in a bit. But first, the saga of the bag continues.

This morning, I once again awoke to seeing out of one eye, and after I showered, during which time the water was repeatedly drilled into my face at some force in order to will my new friend ‘Bob The Bag’ to recede into my head, I knew that I must make a trip to the pharmacia in town.

Having been well acquainted to this establishment last month while I valiantly fought against the scourge of some sort of biting insect, I knew where they were and how when I went the first time, there was no English spoken.

Out comes trusty Netbook and Google translate and the words for swelling and root canal and pain and tooth come flashing before me. I carefully write them down and form some Spanish sentences.

Off I go into the street, a sun shower greeting me, and walk a bit to the Pharmacia Centro. As I enter, I am greeted by a young man, who I proceed to tell my three sentences. He looks at me quizzically, asks me something, to which I look blankly. I then say, 'lo siento, no entiendo', which of course (I hope) is 'I am sorry, I don’t understand'…at which point he says, 'it’s okay, I can speak English'. So me, being the smartest guy around, then proceed to tell him the exact same thing in English while pointing to the luggage on my face, my teeth, my jaw and make exaggerated gesticulations. 'Cause 'Bob' was drowning out the little voice in my head that usually helps me remain calm.

He says 'uno momento' and then comes back with three pills, each the size of a horse, and says one per day for three days with food. I pay for them – much less than US$10 and exit the store.

Total time procrastinating and getting to know Bob - 2 days. Total time preparing for the trip - 30 minutes. Time in the pharmacy, maybe 2 minutes. Score!

Now of course, the stuff I bought has to be checked to see if he didn’t understand and I was now in possession of some drug to treat an ailment that I did not have. Like hookworm or scurvy. Back to the B&B, look at Google again and find the drug.

Those three pills are great honking antibiotics. They are used to treat many things, from STDs to pneumonia. They are also great for sinus problems, which I know this is, and are used in dental infections. So we’re good to go. Now, one hour later, I can breathe normally and the luggage is startng to resemble a small carry-on instead of a large suitcase.

I find it amazing that you can just walk into a place and ask and receive drugs that we in Canada would not be able to get unless we went to a doctor and got a prescription. Perhaps it would not have been so easy if Bob was not with me at the time.

I thought long and hard about getting the antibiotics, for I know that I will know need to eat 47 litres of yogurt over the next week in order to regain some good bacteria in my entire body (Thanks to Doctor Paul for this reminder during our epic waterfall hike). But that’s okay, although I will have to carry the yogurt in a bag instead of just placing it into Bob as I did yesterday with an order of Chinese food, two drinks and a cream cheese cake.

Enough about that...

The real reason for this blog entry, one without pertinent photos due to my obvious vanity and unwillingness to be ridiculed by someone in another country, is to tell you that it is very odd being here close to Christmas.

During my walk with Bob yesterday (wearing sunglasses of course), I watched as Santa stood in front of the department store with a microphone and invited people into the store. To do what, I don’t know, and I remain blissfully unaware. But he had a kick ass  sound system and the people were drawn to him, almost like the Pied Piper, mesmerized by his red suit and long white beard, visions of plastic bowls and princess cups in their heads as they filed into the store. I ran away quickly, because I was feeling a twitch develop in my good eye, and that wasn’t good.

I did go to the town square and I did see families and couples and friends talking and laughing next to the world’s biggest nativity scene, and watched the band warm up for the nightly festival music and listened to jazzy Christmas carols. It was fun to observe, and people watch, and buy yet another ice cream. 

The ice cream here tastes real, full of real cane sugar and cream and wonderfulness. No seaweed filler or whipped glucose here. Jusy yummy, thick goodness, that goes right to your waist and wherever else you had heretofore wanted to remain flat or undimpled. But it’s SOOO good. Bob and I enjoyed it immensely.

That was my day, sandwiched around some great conversation, a game of Scrabble or two, a bit or work and an hour watching some Tico friends of Rachelle and Denny play some guitar. All in all, another day, a bit of writing and some good easy times.

Just needed to share it with you. I'm now off to look into the mirror and check on Bob.