Why I Love the People of Seville

So I finally decided to go to the doctor today. I had a cold almost 2 and a half weeks ago, which I got over, except for the cough. This dang cough has stuck with me since, and has really been starting to annoy me. So I went to the pharmacy the other day and got cough syrup for a very mucus filled cough and some cough drops. When that didn't work, I went back and got some more cough syrup for a dry cough. Finally, when THAT didn't work, I decided to just give up and go to the doctor for something stronger.

So after English class today, we went to the oldest bar in Seville, which was about a 7 minute walk from the school, to an area of town I don't know very well. After leaving the bar, I headed toward my doctor's appointment (which I was going to by myself), and wasn't sure which was I was headed. So I am walking around the streets of Seville, it's pouring rain, dark, cold, I'm alone, don't know where I am,coughing, and basically on the verge of tears. Finally, the street I am on leads me right back to the school, then I make my way to the doctor's office from there. When I get there, the receptionist isn't the nicest to me, but we get through that.

Then the doctor calls me into his office. This is where the story turns good. He was so nice to me. He asked if he needed to speak slower, but I understood him perfectly. He was very nice, and really explained everything very well. He told me that I have and inflamation of the pharynx, aka a very sick throat. He wrote me a prescription, along with a little chart on the back of when to take them. He was so nice and explained it so well, I felt really comfortable. I also told him I was going to Morocco this weekend, and he told me to be careful with what I eat since he's had a lot of american students come in after visiting Morocco with diarrhea. Ew. He also told me to drink bottled water only because of infections.

Following this great experience (where I spoke and was spoken to only in Spanish, by myself) I headed home stopping by a pharmacy on the way. The guy at the pharmacy also made my day. He was very kind, told me I spoke good Spanish, tried to ask me how long the prescription was for in English. When I didn't know how long it was for (4 days or 7), I made the executive decision to get the amount for 7 just in case. So here is me being decisive!!! I'm so proud of me. Then he gave me my drugs (an antibiotic, cough syrup, and something like a pain killer that he suggested over ibuprofen), told me I spoke very good spanish, and I helped him with the phrase "How long is the prescription for?" in English. Then I left and came to mcdonalds to post this blog and eat an ice cream cone for my throat. :D

So basically, 5 minutes before my appointment I was on the verge of tears. 5 minutes after leaving my appointment I was smiling. Thanks to the very kind people of Seville who treated me well and helped me gain confidence in my abilities of speaking Spanish, plus the fact that I accomplished this all on my own. It was an interesting evening. :D