The Dirty "H" Word

You might be thinking that I've gone off the deep end, because there is no swear word that starts with 'H'. Well this is one of those blog posts where sh*t gets real. The 'H' word I'm talking about is homesicknesses. I use to think of being homesick as being such a dirty word. I didn't want to think about it, I most certainly didn't want to feel it and if I did feel it, I never wanted to admit it.

It's hard to adjust to the idea that you can't just drive a few hours to see the ones you love. It's a weird feeling to be on a different continent than almost everyone you've ever known. When I lived in Madrid, there were times I missed home. But I never felt like I was 'homesick'. I had always felt as thought it was a bad thing. I use to think that if I admitted that I was homesick or felt lonely that would mean that I was not having fun.

As my mentor so eloquently put it (shout out to you Phoebe), there is an immense pressure to feel like you are having a good time ALL the time, especially since you feel like it's been long enough now that you should feel settled already. But it is OKAY to not feel settled. And that's how I've feeling. Unsettled. I miss the convenience of living with my parents, the feeling of 'ease' because it's my home, and most of all I miss feeling safe with them. I miss the luxury of having my best friends down the road, just a 5 minute drive away. Because when you move to a new place, with no family around, it feels like no one is obligated to love you. I know people on the island care about me and that they would help me in a heartbeat (that's just how they are). But there is nothing like the obligation of love that your family, and your friends that are like family offer you.

I am having fun. I am enjoying the island, or as I would say in Spanish "Estoy disfrutándola", but I have still felt an ache in my heart. Sometimes, especially lately, it has been enough to make me cry. It felt like things were just piling up, one after the other. From the stress of finding an apartment, moving (again, for the third time), being sick (who doesn't want their mom and dad when they're sick??), navigating documentation, and continuing to learn my away around the city I was spent. I felt like I had nothing left to give. I felt so alone. I also felt like I couldn't share this with anyone, once again, because I felt such a pressure to show everyone that I was having a great time (because I am living my dream after all).

I was, and I am, far from alone. From my friends and family in America who are just a phone call, a snapchat, a text away. To my many friends that are spread across Europe, who continue to check in with me. Other Fulbrighters that are all over Spain, who have become some of my closest friends and confidants in the world (because they get it). And most importantly, to all my friends, co-teachers, students/parents, Fulbrighters, Fulbright mentor and so many other people in the Canary Islands who have cared about me during my time here. Without all of them (you) I would be nothing, and nowhere. So thank you to everyone for supporting to me, listen to me complain, rant, cry, and most importantly offering me love and support. Thanks for holding me down during the best, craziest, and most intense adventure of my life. I am beginning to feel more at adjusted and at home, and I can't wait to see what the rest of the year holds.

Hasta Luego Everyone!!

Also PS: If you would like to send me anything or be penpals, here is my information below:

I have gotten myself a PO Box here in Spain. The address is: 

Hannah Turk
Apartado de correos nº 3
38080 Santa Cruz de Tenerife 
España

Tips for mailing to Spain:
-use flat rate envelopes, not boxes
-on the customs form, state that the items contained are “used goods of non commercial value” and do not have a value of more than $40
-try not to send food (if you do send it in a separate envelope just the food items together) 

These tips help limit the possibility of the package getting caught in customs (I have never had this happen but better safe than sorry) 

Vacation Vibes in Costa Adeje

I live on Tenerife, which is the biggest island in the Canary Islands. Big is a relevant term, because you can drive from the northern part of the island to the summer part in 45 minutes to an hour and a half depending on where you're going. I live in the capital of Tenerife, Santa Cruz, which is on the north eastern side of the island. Santa Cruz does get some tourists and cruise ships, but it is nothing compared to the amount of tourists that the south of the island gets.

I was not really prepared for the culture shift that would happen when I took the hour bus ride down to the south for the weekend. I used my Tenerife public transport card to take the bus, and it cost me 6.50 euros (about $7) each way. I went on a Thursday afternoon after work, getting to/from the south is very easy with public transport, with the direct bus leaving every half hour. When I got to the south it was like I was on a completely different island in a completely different place. I have never been somewhere that is so dedicated to tourists.

Swimming/Snorkeling

I booked this trip originally because I wanted to start to enjoy everything that island life has to offer. I decided I really wanted to do some sort of boat tour, so that I could enjoy the water and hopefully see some wildlife. The only place there was to do something like this was in the south. I ended up finding a company called Roulette Charters. They offer many different tours and I ended up choosing a three hour whale and dolphin sight seeing tour, which also included snorkeling with turtles near the end of the tour. I was very skeptical of the tour because it was the cheapest tour of its kind that I could find at just 45 euros (about $50) per person. Disclaimer before I tell you about the tour and the rest of my trip, right before I left I got a HORRIBLE ear infection. So I really tried my best to make the most of my trip but I did not get to do everything that I wanted to do.

I wish I had more pictures from the boat,
even though pictures don't do it justice

The boat trip was absolutely breathtaking and incredible. My only regret is that I did not prepare myself for the possibility of motion sickness. I was absolutely fine until about 40 minutes in. We had just seen some dolphins and all of a sudden I realized I wanted to puke. I did puke on the boat (twice in fact) but the staff could not have been more friendly or compassionate. They had me sit on the back of the boat near the steering wheel, splashed water on my forehead, neck, etc. After the second time of my blowing chunks (I don't recommend eating candy and chips before boarding the boat like I did) the man (who I think his name was Jon) told me that when he was a kid he would get really sick on the boats too, until he started driving them. Yes, you guessed it. He showed me how to steer the boat and he let me take the wheel until we got close to where we were going to go swimming. I drove for about 20 minutes and it actually really helped my sea sickness. With my ear plugs and the supplied snorkel gear I was able to swim with wild fish (no turtles unfortunately). After swimming they fed us lunch (a sandwich- I saved mine for later) and cake! The lunch and all the drinks were included in the prices. I saw numerous dolphins, 4-5 different whales (of two different species), and a wild turtle! Beyond the wildlife, the views of the shores and the knowledge I gained from the staff was incredible. It was definitely worth every penny of the 45 euros. This price even included them picking me up from my hostel driving me to the port, and the return ship. The trip also ended up being about 4 hours rather than 3. All in all I 100% recommend this company and this trip!

Other than the boat trip, I kept a pretty low profile because I was feeling under the weather. I stayed at Endless Summer Hostel for about 20 euros a night ($25). It was the perfect place to recuperate while I wasn't feeling well. I stayed in the 5 bed mixed dorm, but there was only 4 beds. It was easy to sleep, the bed was very comfortable. They also provided free breakfast (which is a luxury in the hostel world). They had the most awesome patio to hangout on. The location of this hostel is very close to the tourist area, and about a 15-30 minute walk to plenty of beaches in the south of the island. I also walked to the very touristy strip (which includes things like malls and the hard rock cafe) which was about a 25 minute walk. It is admittedly an uphill walk when you are returning to the hostel, but still very worth it.

Something I did not plan, but decided to do was to go to Happy Feet Fish Spa. I've always wanted to do the thing where you put your feet in the fish tank and let those special fish nibble all your dead skin off. I don't think I have ever encountered another place where I was able to do this, and if I had, I would've been too scared to try. At first, I was scared and I wasn't going to do it, but I took the leap. I'm glad that I did because it was very cool, and relaxing. I paid 8 euros (about $9) for 20 minutes. I have trouble describing what it even felt like. It felt very weird at first and it made me ticklish, but over time I became accustomed to it and I didn't want it to end. I was lucky that they seated me at the front of the spa and I was able to enjoy the view of the sea during my spa treatment. I highly recommend this place! I just happened upon it while I was walking back from dinner one night, but there are other places in the south that have similar services.

On my last day, I spent the morning on the beach. I found a beach called Playa Honda, which was a small beach in the "Playa de las Americas" area. I rented an umbrella and a lounge chair for 6 euros (about $7). Normally I would forgo the umbrella to save money, but I was a little burnt from the boat ride (it is hard to care about sunscreen when you are trying not to puke). They also had an option of two chairs and an umbrella for 9 euros (about $10). What I was not prepared for was the structure of the beach. The beach near Santa Cruz, when you rent a chair, you usually can pay 20 euros (about $25) but then you can put that money towards food and drinks from the restaurant/beach bar. Here, there was no beach bar. If you plan to spend time at any beach in the Playa de las Americas area, I recommend packing a lunch, snacks and plenty of drinks so that you can really get the most out of your chair rental (if you choose to rent one, of course you can go and pick a spot in the sand for free). It was a beautiful day. I got very tan even while using 30 spf sunscreen multiple times during my few hours there, and the views were beautiful. While I did not swim, there were some areas where you could sit in small puddles that had collected by rock formations. This water was warm, and I saw many people lounging around the larger puddles. You can also climb over the rocks to get to the waves, which where quite strong that week. I saw quite a few people surfing.

There were plenty of things that I did not get to do on this trip just due to time constraints and being sick, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Almost all the places had English speaking staff and the other things that you expect from a high traffic tourist area. If you ever find yourself on Tenerife, I recommend spending a few days in this area. It is worth it, though if you are looking for a more authentic experience there are other places to see on the island, though that is a post for a different day.

Sick in Spain // Enferma en España

Well, one of my worst case scenarios has come true, I'm sick enough that I needed to see a doctor. As I mentioned to some of you I had what I thought was a cold last weekend, but I could not have been more wrong. When I was living Madrid, I was never sick enough to need to see a doctor, so I never had to figure out how to navigate doing that in Spain. I was really, REALLY hoping that it would be just like that this time around as well, but alas here we are.

Outside of the Hospital

A few nights ago my ear was hurting. I realized I would probably need to go to a cliníca to see a doctor, so I began looking into clinics that would take my insurance that I could go to the next day. When I woke up, my ear pain was 10x more intense, my ear canal was practically swollen shut. My jaw was swollen and whenever I opened or closed my jaw it sent searing pains through my ear. I realized then that I needed to go to the Urgencia, or Emergency Room. I picked a hospital off a list from my insurance. The info page stated that they had both Spanish and English available. 

I prepared to spend a long day of waiting. I loaded up my external battery for my phone, made sure I was dressed in comfy clothes and I went. I called a taxi and arrived to the hospital in about 10 minutes (the ride cost me 6 euros about $6.50). When the taxi dropped me off, I thought for a second maybe he dropped me at the wrong place. Nothing in there area looked like a hospital. I went in, and I saw the sign for Urgencias and I went up and explained my problem. All I really knew how to say was "my ear is really hurting me" (shout out to my high school Spanish teachers for teaching me the phrase 'me duele'). They had trouble figuring out my insurance, but after about 15 minutes of waiting in the lobby, they sent me back to see a doctor. This was like no emergency room I have ever been to in the US. The room they took back to was the doctor's actual office, and my bed was in his office. I sat down and repeated that my ear had been hurting me for a few days, and he asked me if I had been swimming etc. The nurse took my vitals, the doctor looked in my ear, and then he wrote me some prescriptions. (This was all done in Spanish, the doctor told me he knew some English but that he wasn't very good at speaking). He explained all the Prescriptions and care steps in depth and made sure I understood. All in all this took about 20-30 minutes or less. Now apparently the ease of service I experienced still isn't always the 'norm' in Spain, because I went to a private hospital (per my insurance requirements). I haven't filed claims with my insurance yet, but including my hospital 'stay' and my medications I paid about $90.

 The prescriptions were the
weirdest I have ever seen
The Farmacia also let me keep them afterward

The doctor told me I should start feeling better in the next few days, and that I was not allowed to seem for 2-3 days. A few weeks ago I had booked a trip down to the south of my island, with a boat tour to see dolphins, whales, etc. I was feeling okay, and since it was non refundable, Thursday night I went ahead and headed down south, especially since it was non-refundable. Once I got down to Costa Adeje I had dinner, and my ear started to get so much worse. I couldn't hear anything, the pain was much more intense, and my other ear was starting to hurt. I went to my hostel and decided I was going to try to sleep off whatever was going on. Well my worst nightmare got even worse when I woke up at about 2am with a bad fever, and even more intense pain than anything I had experienced. There was a hospital about a 7 minute walk from my hostel, so I got up, got dressed and decided to go.

When I got there, I could barely hold back tears. I told the secretary what my problem was (in Spanish), and that I was in so much pain. I told her that I had insurance and I showed her my card. That was when she told me that the hospital couldn't see me unless I paid 250 euros or I had preauthorization from my insurance. I tried to explain to her that my insurance allows me to go to a public hospital in the case of the emergency. She insisted that I needed the authorization. So I went outside and I tried to call the insurance (my call wouldn't go through), so I called my emergency contact from my grant. She told me to go ahead and pay whatever I needed to and we would take care of it later. When I went back in the secretary realized I had a NIE (a special code on my passport that means I'm not a tourist but also not a resident per say) and she allowed me to get the discounted rate of 74 euros plus the cost of whatever pain medicine I needed in the ER; which ended up being 10 euros for the shot I got in my butt for pain. They took me back to my 'room' which again, was just a bed in the doctor's office. He took a look in my ear and in English (this hospital was slightly bilingual) "Wow is big infection". The nurse gave me my shot for pain in the next room, and the doctor gave me my new, stronger prescriptions then they sent me on my way. I walked to a nearby store, bought some water and some snacks (my stomach was a bit upset from the pain medicine), and I took a taxi back to my hostel which cost me about $7. This whole interaction, including the insurance debacle took no more than 30 minutes, and this was a public hospital. I was shocked, because once again it was nothing like any hospital I had been to in the US. Overall, out of pocket, including my ER visit, shot for pain, and the new stronger prescriptions, this visit cost me (before being reimbursed from insurance) approximately $120.

I ended up feeling much better after leaving and the next day. I was even able to go on my boat tour (keep your eyes out for the blog post on my trip). While this was so scary, and extremely painful, I'm proud to have figured out on my own. I still have to now figure out how to make claims with my insurance. I also plan to find a regular doctor's office so next time I can hopefully avoid the emergency room visits. But it turns out, being sick in Spain is not the worse place to be sick.