When I woke up my throat felt like a bomb had gone off in my throat overnight and I was waking up to the aftermath. And you might think I'm being dramatic - but after checking in the mirror, the image confirmed reflected confirmed what I thought. My tonsils were both the size of golf balls pressing in on my uvula and when I swallowed it felt like two golfballs scraping together in my throat - ouch. Plus whaat's more, I could see white on my throat...as a doctor's daughter I instantly knew what that meant: strep throat. Luckily my directors already knew I felt bad and had tried to contact the doctors so when I showed up to school they were ready to get me an appointment. So while I waited at school my professor was kind enough to make me some herbal tea to soothe my throat.
Our two professors are both doctors who teach French at BYU and they are a married couple. I didn't really know much about them until we got out to France. The wife is actually Romanian, who learned French in school (apparently Romania has some close ties to France and teach French in all their schools so it's really common) and then went to university in France for a while - so she is practically French to us and even to the locals. She still has a strong accent even though she's lived in the United States for twelve or some odd years and she's tons of fun. I honestly like my professors so much. As she prepared the tea my other professor, her husband told me that she still has many of her Romanian superstitions and habits. Like apparently when you loose something in Romania, you turn over a cup on the table and it's supposed to be like a charm to help you find it. He says that while he is not at all suspicious, he will swear by the herbal remedies she makes. So for my tea she specifically added in ginger as part of the herbs for some healing thing or another. I don't know if it worked but it certainly was delicious! And of course nothing feels better when you're sick than some nice warm tea, especially on all the chilly days Paris has been having lately. Let me just say that nothing reverts you back to your childhood self more than being sick. You just want your mom to feed you warm soup and lie in a comfy bed with soft blankets and watch Tv (preferably your favorite American sitcom) - alas, I suppose part of being a grownup is taking care of yourself when you're sick. And paying the bills. But the former one is probably the worse end of the deal.
Luckily, my professor was able to book an appointment right that morning and one that spoke English! It was only a couple of streets away from the appartement where we were having class so we were able to walk over there in a few minutes. As part of the cost for the BYU study abroad, students are covered with international health care. At the time I thought, there was no way I would need it because I simply never get sick - but boy was I wrong, and boy was I happy that BYU knew better. At first I was really nervous because the secretary handed me paperwork to fill out in French and I hadn't memorized all the information about my French family. I had memorized the address but not the postal code or the phone number. But when I walked into the doctor's actual room, she started speaking in English and she had a British type of accent, so she wasn't originally French! Such a relief. I was so worried that I would have to try and explain an illness in French and medical terms but I told her about my throat and one quick 3 min strep test later my diagnosis was confirmed. Then she printed out a prescription and I walked to another pharmacy on a corner and picked up my antibiotics. They just had some behind the counter and get this - without insurance (because you have to front all the money and they reimburse you later) the ammoxicilin was only 5 euros. 5!! Maybe it's hard to realize how incredible that is but look at how much your insurance pays for the medicine you get next time and it'll blow you away. That same medicine - which only lasts six days and is a common antibiotic - is typically $60 american dollars. That's because France is much more socialist than America so lots of medicine/doctors ect. is subsidized by the state. I'm not advocating for anything here, just saying how cool it was for me.
I am so so grateful for modern medicine. I mean if I was in a third world country - like in Africa maybe (like I will be in a few months) I have no idea what they could have done for me. It might have taken a lot longer to get into a doctor, who probably wouldn't have the same level of education or maybe they wouldn't have the tools to perform an immediate strep test and I'd have to wait for results. It's possible medicine could take longer to get to me or even a longer dosage. It really is such an amazing blessing. And I know I take for granted medical care. I mean I'm so used to going to the doctor's whenever I feel sick, as soon as possible, with insurance, no questions. But here I was in a foreign country with no idea of how things worked or how to contact a doctor or how to pay or if I would even be able to communicate my illness - luckily all those things were pretty much taken care of by BYU and my professors - but medicine. What a blessing. And if you're still taking it for granted, just swallow. Yeah, right now. You know that motion that makes your throat move up and down all funny? Do it, see how it's all smooth and functional. Don't take that for granted either.
So meanwhile the rest of the kids had gone to tour the tomb of Napoleon and les Invalides. I rode to meet them there. It was a mighty large tomb for such a small man.
Most of the girls had plans to see The Great Gatsby and since I have a deep and abiding love for the book and F. Scott Fitzgerald, I decided to accompany them. We were cheaters and chose to see it in "version original" or in other words, the english version with French subtitles. I really liked the movie though I had certain criticisms. After the movie, I went home and had dinner with my new family. We had cheese soufflé and it was one of THE best foods I have ever eaten. It was absolutely amazing. It looked just like all those fancy-pants restaurant pictures. I really don't know how to describe it besides by saying that the cheese and the crust were like this beautiful contrast of creamy and solid. Let me just say I highly recommend it. I also loved the interaction between my host family. They have four kids but only two live at home: Jeanne (18) and Quentin (24). Quentin goes to university very close nearby, right outside of Paris and Jeanne is essentially a senior, although next year she'll be a senior +. But at dinner Jeanne would tease her parents or they would kid with her. When I told the father we were having bad weather he said "It's the government's fault" with a twinkle in his eye, just joking with me. The family really is so nice and it reminds me of my own in some ways. And we always have dessert :) Tonight we had glace (ice cream) and the flavors were pistache (pistachio) and american cheesecake (I kid you not, that's what it said on the box, hahah). Both flavors were delicious! I gotta say, ice cream is really good out here. It's not like the creamy thick good ice cream that BYU has. But it is really flavor packed. Finishing the day out with a good full meal - there's not much better!
It's a miracle but I don't have any pictures from this day! Maybe because I was so out of it from being sick - but don't worry I still have pictures left over from various shots around my neighborhood :) Enjoy!
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