Today I went to Antibes to see the doctor to have my immunization shot for tetanus, dysentery and polio. You get a prescription and you pick up the shot. You must keep it in the refrigerator until you see the doctor. The government demands that I have these immunization. I'm pretty sure that you can't grow up in America with out having a polio vaccination..but, now we are doubly sure I'm not going to get polio...but then again isn't a vaccination a little bit of the disease? I feels it's intrusive but I can't say no and stay here. I now have an official Carnet of my immunizations.
Next, I have to get chest x rays to look for TB. I am told that I will also get an exam when I go to my appointment. I wonder about what people that come into the US have to do. Is it as stringent?
So I got the shot and now I deal with 2 days of side effects....mostly muscle pain.
The good news is that my french continues to improve. I speak french every chance I get. I am also finding that my brain comes up with responses in french when I'm not even conscious of it. That's a good sign. People have been so nice. The big woman at the dry cleaner today corrected me and helped me with pronunciation. The waiter told me that my French was very good. Often I have to bail out of it to express myself. I think I need to study a few words to add to the mix everyday.
It feel like summer here. On the beach, there were women topless and older men in speedos. That's a sure sign. Also, I saw tourists dressed in shorts and summer gear. A few people swim. The water must be freezing.
I went shopping in the clothing market in Antibes today. They have this very specific type of clothing that they sell here . It's hard to explain. More on that when I figure it out. I bought 2 blouses , a dress and some ice cube trays. The dress is heavy linen but it will be very cool for when it gets hot. The ice cube trays have tops on then with a hatch where you pour the water in.
Have been trying to wear heels more. I find myself walking through gravel parking lots, beach sand, uneven stone streets and boardwalks with perilous slats. My shoes are getting torn up. Yesterday I walked on my toes around a used car lot trying not to sink my heels in the deep gravel.
I booked my flight to Rome yesterday for my June trip. I went on the usual website ( O ) to book flights. It would have taken me 9 hours to get there for $351 through Zurich. The price went up and up from there but there was not one direct flight. Nice and Rome are a direct line from each other.
I had to look elsewhere...and I am taking a European carrier for about $150, 2 hour flight..direct. This will be the first time for me with one of these airlines. I am getting braver.
I don't mention names of people of specific companies as I don't want them to come up in google searches. I have had the oddest contacts in the past from names I have mentioned. I once mentioned an old celebrity that I swore I saw jogging through a park. The next day, I got an email for the celebrities wife informing me that he died about 5 years earlier. Yikes. I also go a very menacing email from a man very upset that I described a knife shop and the owner as if being in a scene from Deliverance.
So, I am careful.
Very interesting about things coming up in Google searches! This is why I'm not on FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc, etc.... It's all just too public and you have zero control over it. I suspect there will be some nasty, unintended consequences to all this "over sharing" a few years down the road.
ReplyDeleteThirty years ago, my father told me never to give my SS# to anyone but the bank or my employers.I thought he was just paranoid. In those days, people had it printed on their checks and some states used it for your drivers' license or insurance ID. And now we know better ...