I survived the last 5 days...

... and now I am absolutely certain that I can survive the rest of my time here, but I have definitely come to appreciate the comforts of home.
The past few days I have been SO sick; probably the second sickest I've ever been. I'm almost absolutely certain (like 99%) that it was a bad reaction to my malaria pills that I was taking to go to Iguazu Falls. Now, turns out, those pills and the yellow fever vaccine were totally unnecessary for this trip, but you know... precautions, precautions. So I took my pills anyway, even though multiple people told me not to worry about it - the US Medical system could never do me wrong, right?
Anyway, I arrived back on Sunday from Iguazu, and I'd been taking the pills for 6 days, so I had 6 days left. On Monday I saw Inception (El Origen, as it's known here and LOVED IT. It's my new favorite movie), and hung out with my friends, but I wasn't feeling so good. I just figured it was from riding the boat under the waterfall. But Monday night, late-ish, like 10pm, my family got home and I was making toast as dinner because I wasn't going to try to cook something and I was really sleepy - too sleepy to wait for dinner.
I ate my toast, tried showering to shake my not-feeling-well-ness, and went to bed. I couldn't fall asleep, so I took some nyquil, and then at like 2? in the morning, I woke up and had to run to the bathroom. I was SO sick. I wanted to puke, which never happens to me, and at one point thought I was going to, so I started to pull my hair back, and I fainted! I have a very tender bruise on my arm from where I collided with the sink to prove it too! I don't know how long I was down/out for, but I completely missed the dog waking everyone in the house up - they didn't come to look for what happened though (we live in an apartment, that's understandable. I can hear the people moving upstairs all the time). I ended up sleeping in the bathroom for a little while so I didn't have to keep running back and forth.

Needless to say, when my alarm went off for the class the next day I had already decided that I would not be going. I really wanted a doctor at that point, but I would have to go to a hospital to see a doctor because I don't have a doctor here! And I could barely move without bringing up bouts of nausea. Anyway, I laid in bed the entire day with a fever. And pretty much the next day too (so, Tuesday and Wednesday). On Wednesday I was feeling a bit better, enough to move around some and I finally ate some things (although I really wasn't hungry - which is how you know I'm sick!).
Today I woke up and felt really good and decided I should give school a try, but I think I pushed it! The commute to school was mostly me standing on the bus, and then I had to walk up the hill (it's not huge, but it made me slightly dizzy) and it was just downhill (haha, not really) from there. I ate a lot at lunch, but it upset my stomach. By the end of the day I was calling Pipa and asking her to take me to the doctor tonight, which she of course agreed to.
When I got home though, I sat down for about two hours just to relax and wait to go to the hospital (later, apparently, is less crowded), and I felt better. So I decided not to go! I went out tonight and got tea with my roommate instead and I ate light food for dinner again, but I'm feeling so much better.

All of this has taught me that even in the moments that I'm thinking I should have picked the residencia so I could be closer to my friends or the school, I was right to pick a homestay. Pipa was SO caring the entire time. Every few hours, at least, she could come in my room, make sure I was surviving, refill my water bottle, whatever I needed. She has been so great, and I know it's a relief to my mom that Pipa was there for me with whatever I needed.

So, now I'm feeling better - still not 100%, but MUCH better than sleeping in the bathroom, haha, and just in time for the weekend! Haha. But seriously, now that I know that I CAN handle being sick away from home (read I can do it, but don't like doing it), I know that I'll make it through the rest of this experience just fine. I'm already planning my next adventure away from the city! Woo-hoo! :)