Swine flu and other fun times

So, there is a huge (and I mean huge) flu outbreak in Moscow right now (probably swine flu, but of course the news articles I've seen are all either totally scare mongering or else saying it's "Acute Respiratory Infection" and not even a proper flu, so who really knows). Dozens of kids were sick at camp. They actually ran out of some medicines. They shone their crazy "disinfecting" light all over the camp building. They've shut down the Moscow school systems and some universities. The city of Kiev is quarantining people. When you go on the metro there's people in face masks everywhere. It's really crazy.

So basically, what I'm saying is, the reason I haven't posted in awhile is because I am also sick. (Of course I am, because I have a crappy immune system and crappier luck.) I was really, really sick last week at camp-- I had a fever of 101.5 F at one point and couldn't sleep due to my sore throat and hot flashes/chills. I think it may have been swine flu? I haven't worked since last Thursday (that night was my bad fever), though I'm thinking I may go back tomorrow. Monday the company doctor came to look at me. He said that I probably had the flu before, but by that point I was over the flu and had bronchitis instead (which I often get after a bad flu or cold, so that makes total sense). It was a little weird to have a house visit from a doctor, because he wasn't wearing a lab coat, just this kitschy Caribbean tourist T-shirt, and just examined me in my kitchen so it felt a bit sketchy. He prescribed a couple medicines to "make [my] phlegm more liquid" and also this Vietnamese Balm stuff that is basically like Tiger Balm and Vick's Vap-o-rub had an AMAZING baby. I add it to hot water and breathe it in. And it comes in this cute little tin! Everybody is getting this stuff for a stocking stuffer this year because I am a huge fan. Yesterday I started feeling better but my head is all stopped up and I have a constant mild nosebleed that won't heal because I keep blowing my nose. Today I was woozy and nauseous in the morning (well, I say "morning" but I didn't wake up until 5 and nobody is allowed to give me shit for it because I am really sick, dammit!) but I feel a lot better now.

Although I've spent a lot of the last week either asleep or just sitting and staring off into space while feeling miserable, I did feel well enough to do a little shopping yesterday. I lost my hat at camp (and it was a really nice hat, too, so I'm kinda pissed) and left my gloves on a bus so I needed to buy new ones pretty quickly. I was able to find a hat I like alright even though it's not as nice as my original one. If the camp director doesn't find it this week I might buy the same one again, if I can find it. I mean I live in Moscow, I think it's okay to have two hats. I also went to a farmer's market, or rynok, which was awesome. They had fresh eggs, and real pumpkins (generally here you get butternut squash, which is called the same word), and a guy selling spices even had cumin!! It was so expensive though-- 300 rubles, or $10, for a little more than half the amount you generally get in the supermarket. I'm definitely bringing some back after New Year's break because this will not last me long at all. I also got a bunch of apples and the lady selling them let me try the different kinds to see which I liked best! The ones I got taste like Honeycrisp, but they're really red, so it's probably a hybrid. I also visited the ritzy supermarket near here and got pesto and marmalade (anything made with oranges in a Russian brand is very weak/watered down, so imports are the way to go on that front) and real lettuce! They also had a lot of pre-made salads, as well as aspic. (So if you want to try it, come visit me and I'll get you some! :p) Anyway, I made some onion jam (which is delicious, and you can get the recipe here -- it sounds weird, but try it, really) and had awesome apple/lettuce/cheese/onion jam sandwiches. This weekend's culinary adventure will, of course, be tacos.

Anyway, back to camp. Even though I was really sick, I really enjoyed it. I want to work there for the spring session if possible, and definitely over the summer. The counselors were really awesome-- they're generally college kids, mostly from Vladimir (where I studied last time), who need a bit of cash and do not have the biological imperative for sleep. Most of them don't know English (or at least not much), so it was a really good way to practice my Russian in a very low-key, low-pressure environment. (I always get a bit nervous when using Russian at the grocery store or something because I feel like I'm inconveniencing people with my crappy Russian skills.) I was really proud of myself that I was able to hold an actual conversation with the music teacher, and actually talk about topics I was interested in, like movies and music. The only problem I really ran into was when I was trying to explain the concept of "hyperliterate lyrics" but apparently when I described it, it sounded like a bad thing. I was kind of standing up for American music, so clearly for next time I need to practice the guitar and learn some good hyperliterate music to show that my country's music is more than Britney Spears and that ilk. (In related news, I plan on buying a super cheap, crappy guitar to use for the next year and then sell to another teacher who may want a crappy guitar while they're in Russia.) Anyway, it was really great meeting and hanging out with Russians, and a couple of them offered to do a language practice exchange type thing with me if I come back in the spring/summer. Oh, and speaking of language practice, one of the other teachers has a Moldovan roommate who apparently is a shopaholic and therefore always needs money, so I may have found a way to get Romanian lessons!!

There's much more about camp (as well as crazy Russian medical practices) but I feel this is a bit long already, so... more later, perhaps?