This story takes place in San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina. As a part of my volunteer program in Buenos Aires, my accomodation was organised so that I would live in one house for one month. Therefore, for a 4 month volunteer placement, I would live in a total of 4 houses (math) - changing each month from place to place.
For the first month, I was reunited with my partner-in-crime here: Maia. Maia and I had been virtually joined by the hip in the Villa Allende placement (first of the two volunteer positions): working, living and being together 24/7. After a month apart seperate travelling, beaming Buenos Aires had brought us back together. If we hadn't of already spent enough time together, how about sleeping in the same bed? I think that we most definitely needed to reach that next level of intimacy for sure. We were assigned to live with this lovely host family: Julio and Josefina who were dear couple in their 60s of whom had opened their doors to us.
So, this one evening, we were getting ready for a cosy night's sleep together and Maia went to go and have a shower. And all was swell. As she was getting ready to hop into the shower, I needed to do my own business in the bathroom. Maia instructs me to wait outside just until she goes into the shower and closes the curtain, all would be well. Waiting outside the bathroom, patiently as I was told to do, my bathroom's needs were growing increasingly more impatient. "Maia, how are you going in there? I really need go to the toilet!" I asked her. "Just wait!" she replied. I waited but then when what followed was the most stress inducing moment of my life. I hear this MASSIVE thump. Screams then proceed accordingly - with quite the impressive volume too, I must add. I burst in the bathroom to a find a bare-bottomed naked Maia who has paralysed herself at the bottom of the bathtub (it was one of those shower-bath hybrids, I am sure that you know the ones I am talking about). As she stepped into the shower, there was a clear miscommunication between her foot and the slippery surface. With incredible velocity, she was catapulted to the bath's unyielding edge where her rib took a hit that left her immobile and frozen in utter agony.
However, the context of her screams where something along the lines of: "TURN FLIPPING THE SHOWER OFF, ELLA!!!" Whilst in the midst of excruciating pain, the water was scolding her skin. You know when you are having a shower, you need to have that time adjusting the temperature before fully indulging yourself beneath the water. Well unfortunately, Maia did not have the opportunity to experiment with that aspect, therefore her skin was sizzling like a sausage under the boiling agua. What a lucky chica she was! When I was retelling all of this to Maia days after, she actually said that she blacked out during this time and cannot remember a thing.
In attempt to comfort my distressed friend, our host parents of course noticed the orchestra of screams from the room. "¿Qué pasó chicas?" they were asking, oddly in a calmly concerned manner. At this point I thought that Maia had broken her sodden back, I would be wheeling her around in a wheelchair in Buenos Aires for the next 3 months, that is genuinely what I thought would be happening - I was not calm. But I was over the gal trying to go through the classic deep breathing procession in attempt to comfort her: "Inhale and exhale." Call me Guru Gibson, if you will (actually don't, that is a terrible name). At the same time trying to identify where the pain was and how serious it was, Josefina wanted to enter the scene. Maia whilst in experiencing all the pain that she happened to be experiencing made sure she covered herself up before Josefina entered, dignity and all that jazz.
I ran around the house; inspecting my own personal pharmacy and collecting some ice on the way. It turned out the be that Maia had hurt her rib. She halted herself up to the upright position and made her way to the bed. She never got to have that shower did she. Instead, she was bed-ridden for the next week, constricted to the confines of the bedroom. Everyday I went to work that week and came home, went upstairs to find Maia lying on the bed. I presented her with a delicious vegan cupcake from a cafe called Coconaranja everyday of which I could tell made her happy. Honestly, anything to bring a little bit of excitement to one's life when they are in a situation of the like. When I am sick and limited solely to the area of my bed, my mind transgresses past the point of sickness and enters the land of boredom. I forget that I am sick and experience a lot of anger towards the idea of not doing anything. Nothing agitates me more than relaxing and not doing anything. Maia was confined (sounds as if I am referring to her criminal arrest or some notorious story, but no) to the bed for one whole week, so I cannot imagine the intense boredom that she endured. As well as of course some serious uncomfortability, of course. And that happens to be the story of the terrible slippery slope that Maia took that day. God bless my dear.
This blog will encompass the life of a 19-year-old kiwi chica. Composed of stories, advice, life lessons, worldly observations, videos and whatever else Ella's life brings to surface.
For all of this and more, read my new found blog 'Born In 2000': established on the 28th of October, 2019. Where Ella Gibson explores her life that exceeds all limitations. Publications should be expected twice a week. Take this present moment now and rock it!