by Christine Hinrichs (Little Rock, AR)THERE ARE MANY THINGS about life in Cagli that I love. I loved the laid back atmosphere, the chance to hang out in the piazza, and the delicious wines, pastas, and cheeses that abound here. For the most part I find I can get a general idea across to someone in order to meet my basic needs. For example, I can sucessfully order a panino and ask for the check. I can greet someone and ask how they are doing. The difficulty, as I found yesterday, comes when I need to be able to use more than basic phrases to communicate an idea.
Tuesday morning I woke up and my left eye was entirely red. It was extremely irritated, light sensitive and slightly swollen. During our break from class, I attempted to go to the pharmacy and explain that I wanted an antibiotic for my eye. Using a few words and gestures, the pharmacist understood I wanted eye drops. However, when she asked further questions, I was unable to figure out what she was saying. In the end I ended up with some over-the-counter drops to help with red eye reduction, instead of an antibiotic. Fortunately, I was able to take a translator with me to the pharmacy later that day, explain what was wrong with my eye, and get the antibiotic. But had I been on my own, perhaps I might never have gotten the medical attention I needed.
