Sick, again

Oh India. I've been sicker here than I've been at any point in my life! One of my kids' teachers at Jewish Farm School told me that he spent 3 months in India and was sick the entire time. I found that rather shocking, and figured he must not have the most vigorous immune system, or have been particularly careful. Now I'm less certain. Thankfully I'm not experiencing that level of illness, but I have been sick for half the time we've been here, and with diseases I rarely (or never) have had before.

Flu.

Sinus infection.

Stomach bug (whatever the hell that is).

Remember a few days ago when I posted about Zion throwing up? Well, I can't say I've got the exact same thing, but I've got the exact same thing. I don't remember the last time I had this much upset in my digestive tract-- probably as a child, if ever. It woke me up yesterday morning, kept me (and Robert) awake last night, and after fewer than 48 hours my virtually non-existent food intake caused my husband to note, with some alarm, that I "look really thin". I know that might sound like a compliment to some folks, but believe me, it's not!

I've traveled in the developing world off and on since I was a kid. Which thing are safe for my pampered tummy to eat and drink are second nature to me, and I'd hoped this would keep me well, or mostly well, in India. So far though...it hasn't! I guess the germs and bugs here really are that different from those I'm used to. I ran across a book of travel essays the other day called India Bites you Somehow. And last night as I lay awake in bed I thought: Yes. Yes it does.

Not that I plan to stay sick, or to keep getting sick (or at least not as frequently)! I just gotta learn a few new immune tricks is all.

Golden

Sort of a mixed day so far today. My third Big Basket order was delivered, which was mostly good. Having ordered from them a few times I am still a big fan, but I've noticed that they list things as "in stock" that are not. There are items I've tried to buy 3 weeks in a row that are consistently listed as in stock, but which are not in stock. It's not a big deal-- certainly not enough to deter me from ordering-- but I'm thinking maybe there are a few items on their site that need to have their status changed. Their customer service is lovely however. When my zucchinis arrived too bruised and battered to use they immediately gave me a credit for my next order. Anyway I got nearly all of my order today, including a HUGE bunch of organic basil, so I'm content. I think I'll use the basil to make basil chicken! And then, if it's any good, I'll post a recipe.

I also cast on a new cardigan today, out of a pretty, brassy colored yarn. I'm still trying to dream up a way to make it exciting, but maybe a few plain sweaters are what I need. I'm not sure the color will look anything but awful on me, but since I sell or trade most of my knitting anyway I'm not too worried about that.

The down side of the day is that shortly before lunch Zion started complaining about how hungry he was. I basically ignored this (just said placating things like, "OK honey. I'm cooking lunch, it'll be ready soon".) because, hey, he's an 8 1/2 year old kid. Of course he's hungry!

As I was putting rice and lentils into bowls he started saying that his throat hurt. So I gave him some water and told him to eat up. About halfway through his lunch he threw up. Luckily I had a bowl handy, so clean up, at least, was a breeze (ha- I sound like a commercial for some cleaning product! A gross commercial, involving vomit). After that I felt vaguely guilty that I hadn't taken his complaints more seriously, and he went and lay down on my bed and played a game of Archon.

He seems to be feeling much better at this point, so I'm feeding him slowly and giving both kids some schoolwork. Apparently puking only gets you a day off if you don't feel better afterwards!

Housebound

I realized today that I have not left my apartment since Sunday (today is Friday). We've been too sick. Today I'm well enough that I could leave, but the kids aren't. They're both still tired, sore, and coughing.

I have internet access (obviously), so this isn't as bad as it might sound. I can communicate with people, and that helps a lot! I do wish we'd brought more DVDs with us though. I only brought 3 for the kids, assuming we'd spend almost no time watching movies, but as the sick days have dragged on I've regretted that. And really, DVDs aren't big, or heavy! Mental note for next long international stay: bring the damn DVDs. Sheesh.

It's funny how mundane some of the challenges of adjusting to a new country can be. For instance, I need to buy mosquito nets for our beds (both kids have started getting bug bites in the night. I don't know what they are-- maybe mosquito, though they sure don't look like mosquito bites). But I have no idea where to buy mosquito nets! None! So I've sent emails to the two people who've been helping me out, asking for help yet again. I know it's a not a request that will take a lot of effort to fulfill, but man. After constantly asking for help finding and doing the most basic things in your new life it kind of adds up! They've been nothing but kind, but I'm beginning to feel like a bit of a burden. Hopefully when things settle down and we're well I'll be able to make it up to them.

Also, the maid who was supposed to start today never came. I'm not sure if that's because there was a miscommunication on the start date, because something came up on her end, or because she didn't really want the job, but said she'd do it just to get out of our apartment without saying no. I don't mind doing the cleaning so much (especially since I've been housebound for 5 days!), but it would be nice to have someone to do the laundry.

On an up note, Robert brought us dinner last night from one of the cafes on campus, one that serves idli and dosa. It's not close to his building, so we'd never eaten there before. It was so yummy!! And he's interviewing someone in that area again today, so he'll bring us back dinner from there again. It sort of goes against my ingrained tendency to avoid the same foods two days in a row, but it was so delicious (and inexpensive) that I asked him to bring some home tonight as well. I should take pictures- the malasa dosa filling was full of delicious curry leaves!

Illness, begone!

There, hopefully that will help vanquish the nasty illness we've got. Robert had it first, for about 3 days. On Monday Liel got it. She was feverish, listless, and just wanted me to spend the day laying in bed with her (which I pretty much did). She didn't want to drink, and was very difficult to get water into. She threw up once, on her blanket, which necessitated an immediate emergency washing, since we're a bit short on blankets.

By Monday night I was sick too. Fever, body aches, chills. Tuesday morning Zion was sick, and the three of us spent the entire day in my bed watching movies and sleeping. We've now watched all the kids' movies we brought with us- hopefully we won't need another marathon viewing for a while! Robert managed to get down to the cell phone store and give them an Indian sized passport pic for his SIM card application (turns out our US sized ones aren't OK), and to stop at the store and buy us a rice cooker, and a couple of Hanukkah gifts for the kids. I still need to get an Indian sized passport photo taken and delivered, once I'm well enough to make it down there.

The kids were really too sick for Hanukkah last night, but they insisted that we bring the menorahs into the bedroom, since they were both too weak to walk to the living room. They seemed pleased with their gifts (an erector set and an Angry Birds board game), in so far as kids that sick can muster much enthusiasm.

Zion threw up last night too, also on his blanket. As I attempted to sweep the second blanket he was using out of the range of fire I managed to actually drag it through the existing vomit- turns out I'm even more graceful when sick. At that point 2 of our 4 blankets were dirty, so more emergency blanket washing took place, though Robert got the honors this time. Poor guy. Sick wife, sick kids, errands, and now washing puke from blankets in a bucket in the bathroom! He also ran to the desk to ask if we could get another blanket. They said they'd look, and sent up sheets. So the kids and I slept in our bed with the one big blanket, and Robert slept in Liel's bed under a pile of sheets.

A couple of times in the night Zion had horrible wracking coughs. In the early morning, during one such episode, he threw up again (only since he hadn't eaten anything it was just bile, poor boy). Then this morning he had another. After this third incident it occurred to me that all three times he threw up he'd just been given a chloroseptic cough drop, since he was telling us how much the coughing hurt his throat. My working hypothesis is now that Zion is allergic to something in those drops. Since then he's had water and a couple of small bananas and had no tummy troubles.

We had 3 visits today too- or rather, Robert did, while the kids and I hid out in my room and yes, watched movies. Two were from the IT department, trying to figure out what's wrong with our ethernet, and then fix it (they believe the wiring is faulty, I think, and are planning to come back tomorrow), and one from the man in Robert's department who has been helping him get settled on campus. He's taken Robert to get pictures taken (hence Robert having an Indian sized passport photo), to get a campus ID, helped him gather documents, and took him to the FRRO on Monday too (that trip, incidentally, was successful! Took pretty much all day, but we'd been told it can require multiple trips, so no complaints). Anyway, we've been trying to find someone we can hire to do our laundry and some light cleaning, and he brought over a potential candidate, who we (Robert really, as I was watching Kung Fu Panda) hired. Her first day is Friday!

Side note: I think the Angry Birds game might be a bootleg. I can't find anything quite like it for sale (there are board games, but not one like this) and the English is totally charming.

"Where are our eggs?", lament the birds. "They must be stolen by that green pigs!"

"We are so happy that we had stolen their eggs!", gloat the pigs.

"Why angry birds so angry?" asks the unseen narrator.

Pretty rad.

So it begins

I started packing today. Not in suitcases (it's too early for that yet), but my yarn and knitted items. I've been fretting about the ones I'm leaving at home (mostly knitted items as I cut my yarn stash way down in preparation for this move), worrying that they would get munched by bugs in my absence. So I decided to put everything in ziploc bags, in the hopes that this would minimize or avoid this problem. I may even put the ziplocs in some plastic tubs, but I'm not sure that'll actually help.

At any rate, Robert bought me a bunch of huge ziploc bags today, and I packed all of my knitted items that I'm not planning to bring to India or wear in the 17 days remaining to us here in New York. And I put all of my yarn in bags, other than the stuff I'm currently knitting with. It was oddly satisfying to seal everything up! And I felt productive, like I was actually making progress towards being prepared, so that was nice too.

Less nice was trying to decide which shawls to bring with me. I expect I'll get more use from shawls than from sweaters, but I also don't expect I'll wear a lot of wool shawls, even very lightweight ones. But I love them so! I really wanted to bring 5 or 6, but I'm limiting myself to 2-3. Sigh. Probably 2. I must be practical! And I am bringing yarn to knit more while I'm there, though I'm not sure how (or if) I'll be able to block them.

Zion and I are both still sick- snot, coughing, asthma, the works. So glad we're not driving to Chicago tomorrow, even if I do get sad about not seeing everyone there when I think about it. I've been making and taking a tonic with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, honey, and hot water, which I really think has done wonders for my throat. When I got sick I lost my voice pretty much right away, and my throat hurt like crazy, even drinking water made me wince. A day on vinegar tonic and my sore throat was gone and my voice started coming back. Two days and my voice is totally back to normal.

Sick

Today we were supposed to go to Brooklyn for the christening of our friends Ryan and Maria's son. Zion had a bit of a runny nose, but we didn't plan to let him too near the baby and the rest of us were fine, so off we headed.

Shortly after we crossed the Tappan Zee bridge our "check engine" light came on. It was soon followed by the oil pressure light, and since Robert and I are both pretty damn ignorant of cars we decided to play it safe and turn around. I called Kenny (we were going to stop in for a visit there, too) and left a message on Maria's cell explaining what had happened and lamenting my totally lame-assity.

As the day wore on, Zion developed a cough. He wasn't as active as he usually is, either. As we sat down to dinner he announced that his stomach hurt (which caused Liel, little mimic that she is, too immediatly exclaim that her vagina hurt!). We didn't push the food, but he ate a few bites of salad. About 4 minutes later he repeated that his stomach hurt, coughed really hard, and starting retching. With impeccable aim he vomited all over his untouched dinner. Round 2 hit the dining room floor, round 3 the bathroom floor, and round 4 the toilet. After a little cuddling with daddy he announced that he wanted to go to bed a full hour early. When I gave him his bedtime kiss his face was very, very hot :( Hopefully this passes quickly and doesn't take too many of the rest of us with it.