Ich brauche einen Arzt =(

I need a Doctor =(

Lets go back to when I first started to feel a bit under the weather. Friday the 7th I noticed I just wasn't feeling very well. By the weekend I had a fever and felt so tired I stay in bed pretty much the whole time. On Monday I was beginning to feel pretty lousy, but through the week I sucked it up and kept on with work. When Friday approached and I hadn't felt any better, actually progressively worse I decided I needed to see a doctor. Its a scary thing to have to do in a foreign country, alone, and they don't speak English. (well the first time I went they didn't but the second doctor I saw later did, thankfully)

My host mother wrote the address for me on a piece of paper and gave me directions how to get there. She thought that someone would be able to speak English and help me. My German is improving but I'm not THAT good yet. So, I arrived at the German doctors office and wait for the receptionist to call "bitte" which I've learn is a universal German word for everything in every situation. Anyways I get to the desk and handed her my insurance card and said "ich brauche eine Arzt, kannen sie sprechen English?" which basically means I need a doctor, can you speak English? and unlucky me got a very sympathetic, Not no good. (well awesome, maybe the doctor can?) I told her thanks anyways and not to worry (in German) She then pointed me to a waiting room and told me to sit on a bench and wait.

While waiting I noticed a few things. The ill/sick Germans seems nicer than the healthy ones. At the doctors office they all said good morning and had on half smiles, which is more than any of the other Germans I have seen so far.

After a good wait the doctor called me in, Frau Krupsky. I got up and followed her to the room. Once in there I quickly asked Kannen sie sprechen English? The Doctor responded very hesitantly, not a lot but I will try. (At this point I am thinking of course, I would get sick abroad and not know a ton of German to explain my symptoms.)   I managed to tell the doctor, Halsschmerzen und Kopfschmerzen. Which is a sore throat and head ache. She followed up with simple questions, where does it hurt? fever?Does this hurt?(as she pressed on my head) and then she did a quick up and down look and listened to my lungs and heart. Finally she asked me to open my mouth and say AAHHH!
Well one look in my mouth and she knew what I had, Tonsillitis. And from her reaction a pretty good case of it, she called a coworker over to also look at it. After that little adventure I got a prescription and went home. The tonsils basically work as filters and help the immune system. Since my tonsils have become overwhelmed with all this new bacteria and viruses for moving abroad, they themselves have become infected.

Oh the story isn't over yet, ending it like that would be WAY too simple for someone like me. After 3 days of antibiotics my symptoms got worse, yes worse. My throat swelled up to the point where I was having shortness of breathe. I was coughing up mucus and I could taste the pus in the back of my throat. I decided it was time to see another doctor again, (I decided to see a different Dr. one that my host mom knew spoke some English) and that brings me to today.

I just got back from the doctors, my severe tonsillitis that was unresponsive to my first round of antibiotics is now in for a new prescription. A new antibiotic, an anti-inflammatory, and a throat rise to help with the pus. The doctor said that by tomorrow the swelling should go down and within 48 hrs I should see signs of improvement. I have a check up with the doctor on Thursday to reassess things. If my conditions don't improve he will recommend me to an Otolaryngologist (Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist) for a deeper evaluation! =( I don't want that!! I just want to get better so I can enjoy my time here!!

A couple things
1.Being sick sucks, ESPECIALLY ABROAD
2.Being sick makes me miss home
3.I've surrounded myself with books, movies, and lots of tea.
4. Staying hydrated it hard when swallowing hurts, ugh, even breathing hurts.
5. My next post will hopefully be a healthy update and pictures of some new place I've explored! =]

Rich with History!

“If you don't know history, then you don't know anything. You are a leaf that doesn't know it is part of a tree. ”  - Michael Crichton

"This Old Hamburger Mansion is one of the last Baroque buildings in Hamburg. It was built in 1761-62 as a new front building and brewery. The narrow land originally extended to the road Zippelhaus. Additions to today's customs channel and a former Fleet during the East-West road allowed the transport of goods by water. 

The house was formerly at the close Gröningerstraße. The east-west road was 1953-63 by the 2nd World War destroyed downtown broken."

And there is your very 1st German translation! I won't do much writing on this post, just think of it like a tour with very little side chat. Yes,  a tour! Now on your right we have...

"1900 designed by George Radel built as a (hotel, rental house). 1906 expands on the east side. 
Two courtyard wings lead from the front building and parallel to the rear. They correspond to the long land of the former inner dike houses on the entire block. The well preserved building has a sandstone facade with Art Nouveau decor. Asian motifs refer to trade with the Far East. The impressive entrance hall has skylight, tiled walls, a marble staircase with Art Nouveau railings and laterally located elevators."

Please watch your step, these cobble stone roads can be dangerous if you're not paying close attention. (I'd make a good tour guide)





"1857-59 the harbor road on the River Elbe. in St. Pauli was built between Landugsbruken and Pinnasberg (Name of places). For this purpose, it was situated near the main factories, shipyards, and storage centers. To make this happen residential buildings had to be demolished. In 1862 stone steps were built leading down to the street from other residential buildings. Of the historic floor houses on the north side, particularly the homes that parallel Bernhard-Nocht-Street and the banks of the Elbe River of St. Pauli, only a few remain. 
In 1981-83 more construction near the River Elbe."

"These half-timbered houses belonged to the transition quarters of the "New Town" and are the last remnants of this once densely populated districts, it emerged in the 17th Century as the living quarters of the urban lower classes. 
The houses No. 49/50 were built around 1780, Nr.51/58 at the beginning of the 19th century. 

The ground floor apartments and the upper floor have a private entrance, respectively."

Now allow me to show you just how great of a tour guide I would be... =]

The Gothic Revival Church of St. Nikolai was originally founded in the 12th century, as a chapel dedicated to Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors. The first church was lost in The Great Fire of 1842*. It was formerly one of the five main Lutheran churches in the city of Hamburg. The second church that was built in 1845-8 lies now in ruins, with only its spire remaining, serving as a memorial and an important architectural landmark. The current Church of St. Nikolai is the result of the bombing of Hamburg in World War II.

*The Great Fire started on May 4th, 1842 in the night. It fiercely spread through the heart of the city. It wasn't extinguished until May 8th. The result of the fire was catastrophic. It left three churches, the town hall, as well as many other buildings flat. It killed 51 people, and left an estimated 20,000 homeless. Reconstruction after the fire took more than 40 years.

Schrodinger's Cat, Schrodinger's Katze?

Between signing up for an official language course, walking the city, and watching the Super Bowl, I apologize that this post is slightly delayed. To kick things off, BRAVO SEAHAWKS!!! No I am not jumping on the band wagon. I am simply giving credit where credit is due. I am a native north westerner, the Seahawks games always got priority game air time. Speaking of air time, watching the Super Bowl in Germany was not an easy task. In a summary I had to stand on my head, cross my toes, spin my lap top and constantly refresh my web page to stream the game. Germany is not a very American Football friendly country when it comes to trying to really watch a game =(  I also terribly miss The Big Bang Theory.

Language Course!

Ja oder nein? JA! BITTE!  

So I didn't get the class I wanted, bummer. I ended up with a class that doesn't start until March. Oh well, at least I got a placed in one! (A lot were full, and others were filling up fast) However, there is a sunny side to this delay. Since my course is later than planned I get to go over my book material now (I am actually excited about that) and somewhat familiarize myself with it. (So basically I am going to rock this course!) The class is also downtown, so hopefully I will get to see more of the city and meet more people.

I really, really like this city. I really, really, really don't like being cold. I know, for a girl who doesn't really like months of winter what was I thinking moving to northern Germany! I like winter from a distance, or maybe a bit of an extreme winter (like 3 weeks) followed by a warm spring. I mean give me feet and feet of snow, a real winter. But.....don't make it stay too long. A more than slightly unrealistic preference, I am aware. With the topic of weather out of the way I promise not to bring it up again (unless a good story will come out of it or I have something positive to say) Onto a brighter more cheerful topic, architecture.

It amazes me how beautiful a well constructed building can truly be. Not just the museums either. Office buildings, shops, homes, ALL OF IT! Walls and pillars, windows and statues, I feel like Dorothy. Lions, tigers, bears, OH MY! In a less scared and more mystified kind of way. My favorite is when a building has this blue plaque on it that gives viewers a historical background lesson. So far I have seen quite a few. I like to take a picture of the building & the plaque then translate it when I get home. I will post a building history topic soon! I have a lot of great stuff to share. 

IF YOU DON'T READ THE WHOLE POST, FINE. AT LEAST KNOW I GOT TO SEE FOOTBALL& I AM STILL ALIVE =] (Also, the next post will be worth reading.)