I have been out of commission for a week. I have been sick and since I fall sick once every 2-3 years, it comes with a bang.
Of course, I got the flu (sans the bird). I also got a hideous eye infection. And for a change it was very hot in Denmark this past weekend and I spent most of the time huddled in a blanket. It was horrible.
My kids left me alone, except for coming by and planting a kiss here or there. Though yesterday, Tobias said, rather sagely, “How come you’re always lying in bed, mama?” Like I do it all the time, like that’s all I do. One weekend out of a lifetime, I spend in bed because I’m sick as a dog, and the kid deems me a bum who lies around doing nothing.
I’m sure there are people out there who handle sickness well. I’m not one of those people. My husband is one of those people. He’s very philosophical about being sick—he thinks about it and decides he can’t fix it and just sort of blends into the furniture. I rant and rave and weep. I demand tea, juice, and complain. I want Indian food when I’m sick, which you can imagine frustrates the hell out of my husband, who goes chasing Indian food and even cooks Indian food for me (yes, the man is a saint). I can seriously whine when I’m sick. I think I was even better than my three-year old at whining while my temperature went up and down.
It was a bad time to fall sick. I had to take a stupid Danish exam, which the stupid Danish government is making me take, so that I can get my permanent residency (sort of the Danish green card). It isn’t enough that I pay 65% of my income in tax and it isn’t enough that I work—I need to also learn Danish, the purpose of which is to ensure that immigrants can find jobs. But I already have a job; in fact I have two jobs (the job-job and the book job), which means I contribute twice as much to the welfare system in Denmark than Danes do.
Anyway, I passed. I got a B+ and don’t mock this B+ because I still don’t know Danish. I don’t speak in Danish; I don’t need to. I only spoke Danish in the language class, so you can imagine how much practice I got (the class was just once a week). I think I passed because of my writing skills in general—and the fact that I’ve taken the GRE, GMAT type of exam before. The exam had an oral and written component and I got a B+ in both. I still can’t speak Danish; but I’m now legally fluent. My husband thinks that I just think I don’t speak Danish, and that secretly I am fluent and am slowly turning into a Dane. What a mean thing to say.
But I’m feeling better now, except for the eye infection, which means I have to literally peel my eyes open in the morning (and isn’t that a yucky visual).
In other, book related news, I just saw the book cover of The Sound of Language, and as soon as it is approved; I will share it with you. It looks, really, really, really good. I think it’s my best book cover yet.
As you know, The Sound of Language is now available for pre-order, so go ahead and pre-order. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Labels: Sickness
