Sick Abroad

By: Sophie Hunter

The sun glistening off the Duomo, church bells chiming, and the harmonic flow of Italian conversations lifting into the air are just some of the experiences that come to mind when you visualize studying abroad in Florence. You might imagine ordering a cappuccino along the Arno River as you breathe in the afternoon to explore your newfound home. The last thing on your mind is the retching violence of stomach flu: nausea, splitting headaches, and relentless waves of ‘you know what’ happens with the stomach flu. In the first week of studying abroad, I experienced it all. My mom had stuffed my suitcase with Emergen-C, tea, and vitamins to ward off any impending illness. However, these efforts failed. There I was, in a foreign country, my new home, suffering from a horrible stomach flu. What kind of medicines should I get? Do they have stomach medication and what do you call it in Italian? These questions raced through my mind as the feeling of utter isolation washed over me. In that moment, I realized that my mom, my doctor, and all the comforts of my home were 5,518 miles away.

After I wallowed in self-pity for about 10 minutes, I heard a knock on my door. One of my roommates had come back from sightseeing that morning and had heard of my sickness. She had brought bubbly water, stomach medication, and a thermometer. Little did I know at the time, but she had asked the pensione staff for the thermometer. They did not have one on hand, but after learning about my illness, they quickly ran to the nearest pharmacy and handed it to my roommate, saying that it was “just things that families do”. A little bit later in the day, two incredible and amazing women at my pensione came into my room to see if I was going to make it to lunch that day. After realizing that I could barely get out of bed, let alone go to lunch, they brought me a bottle of bubbly water and orange juice to hydrate.

While sipping on the oh-so-sweet orange juice, I realized that no matter how alone I had felt, that was not the case at all. No matter how far away from my family and Gonzaga I am, the devoted community will always follow, affirm and support. Whether it be in Spokane or in Florence, the family and community oriented spirit follows Zags wherever we go. In sickness and in health. All in all, I learned that finding medication in Italy is not as hard as it seems (thank you, Google!), that there are always Bulldogs looking out for you, and that you should never underestimate Zagnation.