Red Medicine

I was sick today. This put a damper on the immigration center visit and Italian lesson we had today. My head was a giant bubble stuffed carelessly into a skull far too small for its size. My nose was a river, my eyes two small depressions in a face that was sweat-ridden and weary. Yet I tried to listen. I remember being amazed at how something as complex as an immigrant center can be made simple using a system.

Of course, I'm not the only person that is sick. A combination of torrential rain and spending a large portion of our time in a tiny, stuffy room (my apartment) full of coughing individuals created the perfect haven for our little epidemic. As a result, our Italian class was punctuated by regular sneezing, coughing and hacking from all of us infected honors students.

I was pretty sick. But then, I decided to try some red medicine. It was a giant red ball, millions, maybe billions of times larger than me. It was only a bus, a nap, and a train away. When my sister and I first walked through the portal to the sandy land of the red ball, the ball wasn't there yet. Instead, there was a vast, empty strech of sand, greeted graciously by the rolling sea. I sat down and waited for the red ball to come.

Then I saw the ball, in all its deep red glory. I know this red ball is giant, but when I looked upon it, it seemed so small. I wanted to pick it up and carry it back to the Rome Center so that it would heal everyone else. I tried, but it was too hot.

It's too bad, really. I really wish we could all be better.

It's a good thing we'll be going home soon.