Sick as a Puppy

I woke up this morning feeling completely rotten - sore eyes, sore head, sore throat... and I don't suppose any of that was a result of the banana milkshake I had after the cinema. I have had a cough of varying degrees for a couple of weeks now, so this morning I gave in and went to the Farmacia across the road and picked up some jarabe, which is what you get for cough medicine here. I feel a bit better already, I think mainly because I actually succumbed to the need for medicine rather than trying to ignore my illness! I was feeling very under the weather, not least because it was freezing last night and was still really cold this morning. I had stupidly put all my long trousers into the laudrette the night before and though I would have to wear shorts to work, but luckily I found my one pair of smart trousers that I brought. Not sure what I thought I would need them for, but being as I followed the instructions of all the travel books and websites I read before leaving to the letter, I thought I would bung a pair in my suitcase. Just as well!

I ended up wearing my hat and scarf too (glad I brought them!) and although the cold seemed to barely register with anyone else, I have been shivering all day. At Arcoiris, it seemed to be Official Cream Puff Day, with various kids going off into corners and sulking throughout the day. I felt like following suit at one point! We decided to take the kids out to the park again, this time with a skipping rope and minus Tutui, the 2 year-old whose inquisitiveness is outweighed only by his lack of fear. A dangerous mix in a playground full of glass and barbed wire.

Skipping proved still to be a classic entertainment, and kept the kids busy in the sunshine for a good while. I managed to get sunburnt yesterday, despite it being freezing cold, so made sure I put on the sunblock for the tiny bits of skin that were sticking out of the spaces between hat, scarf and jumper. It felt wrong! The kids showed us some of their skipping games and I showed them "I Had a Little Bumper Car" - the bit about knocking into the policeman still makes me laugh, but it was hard to translate to the kids so they could understand too.

There were still a number off kids in several degrees of huffs when we got back, which made trying to get an organised game on the go very difficult. I opted to introduce "What's the Time, Mr Wolf" ("¿Cuál Es La Hora, Señor Lobo?") which seemed pretty popular - no surprise there, though!

After lunch I felt really rotten and ended up having a very long siesta, and feeling worse for it. Sile had to drag me along the road to get the bus to El Refugio, and the combination of feeling ill and what had happened yesterday meant I was not exactly excited about going to work... but as with all things, you get out of it what you put in. However, my Spanish had gone off to lurk in the back of my brain somewhere while all my thoughts were of getting back under the warm covers, so I realkly struggled. Yesterday, 2 of the patient older boys had asked why they weren't getting taken to the park, and I said that we couldn't take them then but I would take them soon. I promised that I would take them, though specified that it might not be today. Of course, when we arrived, the first thing they asked me was if we wer going to the park and I tried to explain that we weren't going as I was ill, and they turned my promise around on me and tried to say I had said they could go today. They wouldn't listen to me and I didn't get a chance to properly explain. I'm sorry to say that I totally lost my patience and shouted at them in English, which I'm not proud of. Later on, I was really pleased because one of the boys, whom originally I had thought to be bit of a wide-o, came up to me and sat right down beside me, and said gently "what happened?". I asked him if he had ever had flu and he said "many times", so I explained how I couldn't go in that state, and he said he understood. He accepted my apology, and I hope I haven't spoilt things by losing my temper. I think they are used to shouting from the other women, but I don't want to be like them.

Later on I noticed that I hadn´t seen 2 of the kids for ages, and another girl told me that these 2 had escaped over the weekend, by climbing onto the wall and over the roof. I am really quite sad, as the girl, Mariaeugenia, had always seemed mature and intelligent to me and we had some good convsations. She had previously told me that she wasn't allowed to come to the park with us as she was deemed an escape risk. Probably nothing made her want to escape more than that. I've kept a drawing that she did for me on one of the first days, when I asked her to draw her dreams. She drew herself, her brother and her mum in a house surrounded by flowers. I asked her where her mum was and she said she didn't know, but that she had promised to call Mariaeugenia, and that she had never done it. I don't suppose I will ever see her again.

Even sadder than all this is the newest resident of El Refugio, a black mongrel pup called Michaelangelo. He belongs to one of the girls, but as they lie quite openly a lot of the time, it is hard to tell who is the true owner. Yesterday he seemed shaky and confused, but today he really did not look well. I ended up with him wrapped in a jumper, trying to keep him warm next to my chest. I tried to get him to drink some water at one point, but he wouldn't. I hope he won't be mistreated or will suffer, but it's hard to imagine him being cared for properly. We'll need to see.

Apart from that, today marks 3 weeks since I left for Argentina. I can't believe how quickly it has passed and how dumbstruck I was by everything when I got here. Part of me wants to come home, but part of me wants to stay and see and do everything this crazy country (and all those surrounding it) has to offer. I really want to go to Montevideo, to Patagonia, Chile and Tierra del Fuego. But the ticket is booked and I'll be home 2 weeks tomorrow. It's too soon!

Thanks again to everyone who has been reading this and leaving comments. The first thing I do after checking my email every day is look to see if I have any comments. I'm trying to add a bit of humour to it, but I'm afraid that's just a wee bit thin on the ground today!

¡Mañana será mejor!