Tales of Spain: Getting the “FULL” International Experience

13Oct10

Greetings all!

Unfortunately, my return entry into the food blogosphere is accompanied by less than happy news.   I am currently writing to you from the coziness of a hospital bed in the middle of Basque Country– Bilbao.

What happened, you may ask?  Sigh.  Let me fill you in.

Since the theft of my beloved DSLR in my last post, I have continued traveling, using my roommate P’s camera as a surrogate for my own.  We traveled to Lisbon, Portugal last weekend, and on my trek through the Madrid Metro system to get to the bus, I slipped and fell (good lord, memory of torts just flooded into my brain).

CRACK.

Oooooooh, not good.  Not good at all.

I prayed it was just a sprain and hopped on the Metro, struggled over to the waiting buses, and after asking the ticket seller to call me a médico (doctor) and merely being redirected to Information Services, I decided to hop on the bus back to Bilbao and suck it up for the 5 hour ride back so I could be back among friends while I figured out what to do with my foot.  In the meantime, I popped some Motrin to tide me through the pain, and sat very, very tenderly.

My roommates P and S met me at the bus station, and with their help, I hobbled over towards the hospital, which happens to be conveniently located across the street.  It turned out to be a little further than we thought, and a nice cab driver drove us there, gratis (for free).

To the nameless cab driver: Thank you, for a little bit of sunshine in my pain.

I waited in the emergency room, and after several trips back and forth with doctors and S as my translator, they took my X-ray and told me:

Fractured.

Ah man.  They told me that I would be scheduled for an operation to affix a plate onto my bone to fix the fracture, and then to fix some torn ligaments.  In the meantime, as I wait for surgery, I am sitting in a little bed (I had to spend the night) in the middle of a stinky, Basque hospital.

In retrospect, I am truly getting the full international experience. I’ve gone to the police station several times, I’ve experienced frustration over the siesta, the lack of customer service, and I am now in the hospital.  All I need to complete the entire tour is to (1) meet the King, (2) have an international incident occur and have the military called out, or (3)  . . .  Well, let’s not be too dramatic here.

In any case, more pictures will be posted soon.  The above photo is an old one I took one day a few weeks ago of a chicken soup I made for myself when I was feeling out of sorts.  It was the perfect remedy to a headache.  The recipe is below:

Thinking of Home Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken legs
• 2 diced carrots
• 1 diced potato
• half cup of chopped mushrooms
• 1 sliced scallion
• 2 cups water
• salt, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat a deep bottom pot on medium high, and sear the chicken legs on both sides (I did this with a little bit of olive oil to keep it from sticking).  But you can stick this step, if you want.
2. Add the water.
3. Add the chopped vegetables (carrots, potatoes) and mushrooms.  Turn the heat on HIGH and allow the water to come to a rolling boil.
4. Turn the heat down to low or medium low and let the soup simmer for 25-30 minutes.  You can cover the pot, as long as it there is sufficient space to allow steam to escape, otherwise the pot will boil over.
5. Ensure that the chicken is cooked through (if pricked with a knife, the juices should run clear).
6. Add the scallions, and, if you wish, salt to taste.
7. Enjoy!

Serves 2.

Filed under: Homemade, photography, Recipes, Spain, Travel   |  9 Comments
Tags: bilbao, Fractured foot, Hospital visit, Madrid, Operation and Surgery on a torn ankle ligament, spain, study abroad