Day 2
Adventure Time (haha)
Initial Impression(s):
I HATE BUNK BEDS. And I also remember why I had the top one... I've hit my head like 9 times since I got here yesterday... *grumble*
Well today was interesante! Started off waking up early and had a yummy breakfast with some kind of carmel-y thing on french toast. I don't remember what it was called, something with leche and a picture of a goat. *shrug* anyway it was good. The internet was down this morning for a few hours so I couldn't plan my epic travel adventure with out Google maps. Once the internet got back up I decided to find out where my school was and map the route to the Walmart to purchase a local cell phone and a portable wireless internet plug in thing (I'm technical right?). Anyway, after walking to Walmart, which was far, but not as bad as I expected (Google says 28 minutes but I think it was faster than that) I discovered that the lines are TERRIBLE! They literally wind around the store. It was extremely hot and packed inside the Walmart. I went straight to electronics and started to talk to a guy about getting a phone except... yup, my Spanish wasn't good enough nor was his English good enough. He told me to wait and found another guy who spoke some English to help me, who kept getting glared at, and reprimanded by his manager. It was slow going but we finally got the transaction agreed upon. The guy (who's name I didn't get unfortunately) helped me to the film/camera area and I was able to bypass the whole lines to pay there (yay!). After that we headed back to get the phone and have them explain the finer details to me.
While they were talking I was starting to feel weird, I was getting really hot and I felt some nauseousness and dizziness. I interrupted them and said, "I feel dizzy, I need to sit down." As I turned to find a seat I basically swan dived to the floor, (VERY GRACEFULLY, I might add) while the nice guy who spoke some English caught me. They dragged a radio in a box (LOL) over for me to sit on while some lady kept asking me questions in Spanish while waving a sign at me to give me air. The manager comes over with a chair and tells the guy who spoke English to get to work. Then the manager takes over, talking to me in Spanish.... I'm feeling like I'm 100 miles away from my body, I have cotton in my ears and all I can hear/feel is my heart racing and my whole body going hot/cold/hot/cold and tingling. I stare straight at the manager and manage to say, "No hablo Espanol, lo siento. I only speak English". Upon realizing this he runs to go get the guy who was there in the first place (haha). They are still fanning me and the nice lady is still asking me who knows what in Spanish while I and telling the guy who speaks English, "I can't feel my hands, they tingle and I can't move my fingers. They are seizing and closing up." They get the pharmacist, who takes my pulse and blood pressure. He is talking to the guy who speaks English, asking what happened and how I feel - as it gets directed to me. I am staring at my hands and I notice that while they have the blood pressure cuff on me my fingers turn blue and both of my hands fingernails are white. They talk about my skin color (I guess I was pale), and the pharmacist feels my face and says that I'm very cold. He then takes me hands and squeezes, which I can't feel - and then he keeps squeezing them telling me to keep moving them, despite the fact I'm struggling with it. As I slowly breathe deeply (as directed) and am drinking my water they ask me if I have family to call. I explain that, "No I am here to study at school. My family is in Albuquerque, NM." Then they ask if I have a friend or friends here... the only people I know are Pablo and Yair... neither of which I would expect to call in a situation like this. I say "Yes, but I want to take a taxi back to my house. I do not want to call my friends. I'll be fine." They tell me that either I call a friend or I need to go to the hospital just to be safe since I'm alone. (damn it!) So I give them Pablo's number where they call and I say, "Pablo? I'm sorry to call. I fainted in Walmart and they are making me call someone I know here or they wont let me leave." He is basically like.... "What????" So the guy who spoke some English asks me for the phone, he gets on and explains to Pablo what's going on then gives me back the phone. "Okay, so how are you feeling?" "I'm fine. I feel really really embarrassed. I'm sorry about this..." "What happened?" "I don't know I got really hot, then dizzy, then I got all tingly and kinda passed out." "Alright, well they are going to call you a taxi and talk to the driver. They will make sure he gets you home and when you get there rest. You pay the taxi after you arrive at your home." "Okay, thank you... I'm sorry again." Well after this call they decide that I should be moved to somewhere with more air circulation so they escort me (arm in arm with the translator guy) to the photograph section. Where they take me behind the counter, give me the ONE chair, and stick me in the middle where I'm right by the entrance. (Yay! embarrassment) I sit there for a few minutes wondering when I'm going to be allowed home when the manager has the girl call for paramedics (I thought it was a taxi ><). The paramedics arrive (really really fast) and are super nice/funny. They take my heart rate, blood pressure, pulse and check my eyes. They feel my face and my hands and pull my eye lids down. They ask if I smoke and a bunch of other questions (in Spanish) that get translated to me and explain to the guy who translated for me what to check for and how take the pulse, heart rate, and to notice how I'm pale but normally my checks would be pink/red because of my skin tone, etc. I apologize for not speaking Spanish and thank them for the help/care and the main paramedic helping me apologizes for not speaking English. He tells me he only knows how to say "perro" and laughs. I tell him I only know how to say "uno mas cerveza por favor" to which I get a high five. They say I'm okay to go home and give me a written down paper with my heart rate, blood pressure, and what not on it. They say it is in the normal ranges now. After that the phone guy comes over with my cell phone and my internet card. He finished it up for me while I was being a weenie. They let me know that everything is good and they will call me tomorrow for "some kind of technical phone thing" (which sounded sketchy to me.. esp since he doesn't speak English, and he asked me for my email or facebook first.... but onward!). The translator guy gets me outside (with a free juice the manager said was okay that he gave me ^^) and to the taxi stand. We wait in line and he looks me over and says, "Oh, you cheeks are pink" (I blush) "Now they are red" (laughs). "Yeah, I'm kinda white, its what they do". Turns out he is also attending UNAM and studying engineering (apparently that is all they make out here, super smart engineers). He loads me up into my cab, gives the driver directions and tells me to take care.
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| Pretty gates.... |
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| This sign is freaking hilarious |
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| I wear my sunglasses at night, so I can, so I can... blah blah blah |
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| Tilt your head sideways, this is the double gated, security coded entrance to my hostel. |
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| Inner courtyard before the house |
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| Inner courtyard before the house |
Now if I've managed to explore this much of the city in two days, do a swan dive in Walmart (into an attractive albeit married man's arms), get hit on despite that (by a guy who spoke no English), get lost, AND find my way home alone I think I'll be just fine here. And I still love this place. I am sorry I didn't get more pics of my hostel like I planned to. I actually got very few photos today but I will make up for it tomorrow.
On that note I'm off to watch True Blood and veg out.
<3
