The light at the end of the tunnel

After about 4 days of rest--and the boredom that inevitably accompanies a four-day stay in a one-room apartment-- I am on the mend. I woke up on Friday morning and felt hungry (always a good sign), and managed to make it to school for the whole day! I haven't felt nauseous since Thursday, and I've been eating regular meals. My cooperating teacher even said that I had the color back in my cheeks, which was wonderful to hear!

During my time of recuperation, I was so happy to be in a community of people who know these kinds of illnesses like the back of their hand. Whenever people asked me how I was, it was with genuine concern, and when I described my symptoms, I was met with either steady nonchalance ("Oh, yeah. That sounds like what I had about 6 months ago") or some great tips from the top ("If you need rehydrating salts, I have a ton. Also, whenever you run low on probiotics, let me know. I do have some Vomistop if the nausea gets too bad..."). The entire campus, it seems, is a veritable pharmacy, and everyone is willing to share. In addition to strictly medical advice, I was aided by a fellow knitter who supplied me with some yarn and a pair of needles to keep my mind and fingers occupied, and a caring mother who ordered me thukpa (a Tibetan noodle soup) and momos (if you don't know what those are, you haven't fully lived) from a local restaurant when I was afraid I wasn't going to eat dinner.

This weekend, I am taking it easy. I learned how to cook dal (dahl/daal) from the woman I hired to clean my house; I don't speak much Hindi, and she doesn't speak much English, so we taught each other the names for different foodstuffs in each language. As she set about trying to make a meal with the meager stores and lackluster cooking tools in my kitchenette, I carefully observed her movements, the heat levels of the stove, and the length of time between each change. I think I have it written down in a way that will serve me well later on, but only time will tell. I'll have to get my hands on a pressure cooker when I'm back in the States so I can recreate this most basic of Indian dishes!