Waking up in a foreign country.

(SIDE NOTE: This was written on paper, as there was no internet available - dated 6/27)

This morning I woke up feeling the worst I have felt so far in my journey (and that is saying a lot, because those flights were MISERABLE!) The outward symptoms left me and my supervisors no choice but to get to a hospital immediately.  (I've tried to abstain from the gruesome details, but it ended up being an infection in my throat and ears that went untended waayy too long).

I don't have my luggage still, and my electronic adaptors and computer charger are all in my suitcases.  I awoke in a panic, knowing for sure that I had missed my first day of orientation.  I ran to the basement for breakfast, only to see that the clock in my room was an hour ahead.  I nibbled what I could, and left to find Zuzanna and hopefully hear some good news about my luggage.

There wasn't any news though.....and generally that's bad. The longer my possessions are lost, the less chance I have of finding them.

Zuzanna informed me that I must go to the hospital right away since my condition worsened.  My mind is still in the U.S. evidently because then I really panicked.  I didn't have enough money for the hospital! And it is 3am at home...I din't have a chance of reaching my parents, especially without a phone card or internet.  Zuzanna is a very blunt but caring woman, and she tried to calm me down, however in the end, she left me alone which was probably best.  At this point in my journey, I had lost every inkling of hope and courage I had left.  No matter what, it was obvious that I was still alone here.

I allowed myself a solid hour for tears.  It was the first time I had let my barriers down on my trip, and I had so many tears stored up!  Every misstep, every hardship, and every little thing that didn't go as planned found its way into my consciousness, and I cried for all of it.

It was at this time that Anna Stepnickova knocked on my door.  I didn't even bother to make myself look presentable when I opened it, so she saw my raw distress.  She immediately wrapped her arms around me and told me that everything would be fixed today.  I cried awhile longer, and asked her if I should just go home.  Her eyes became big, and she wisely informed me that I have come a long ways already, and that this would be the worst of it.  It was the first time I smiled that day.
It was then that I became aware of my clothes and hygiene.....I've been wearing my same clothes for nearly 3 days without a proper shower or toothbrush.  Anna must have realized my thought process, because she giggled at my reaction.  I felt foolish for crying so much (Extreme crying too, like full on body heaves, sobbing, mumbling, all interrupted by trips to the bathroom for naseau) in front of her, so I started asking questions about herself.

Anna is 20 (just a year younger than me), she is a beautiful -makeup free Czech woman with blond hair, she holds herself with elegance, and her mother runs the program I'm in here in Prague.  All of this was nice, but to be honest it was her genuine smile that finally put me at ease.  I could tell that she had a hear that is very similar to mine.  I knew that she WANTED to help me, and I no longer felt like a burden to Charles University.

I was given a jacket to wear, as my luggage is still lost (Anna even offered to buy me clothes to get by...I politely declined due to pride).  We talked the entire taxi ride to the hospital, and in those 10 minutes, I knew that I had made my first friend her in Prague.

Life is on the ups!
Best,
Cass