It started on a Monday. I met Omar to see the Maskleta. Afterwards, we went to lunch at a great Ramen restaurant in the Chinatown area. After I said goodby to him, I was rushing to catch my bus and I stepped in a hole and sprained my ankle. I knew it wasn’t “nothing.”

I got home, put ice on it and took some ibuprofen. That evening, I went to choir practice. It was clearly swollen. So afterwards, I came home, more ice and more ibuprofen.

Tuesday, the swelling looked like it had gone down. So, I slowly and carefully walked to school. On the way, I stopped at a Farmacia to get an ice pack and some anti inflammatory creme. I came home after class, put my foot up and did nothing but take care of my ankle.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday, the swelling was worse. So, after class, I took a taxi to the emergency room and had an x ray. There was no fracture. But the doctor was concerned enough about the swelling that he asked me to come back on Thursday to see a specialist. They wrapped the ankle tightly and told me not to get it wet. I’m wrapping my foot in as plastic bag when I take a shower for the next few days.

Thursday, the doctor prescribed an anti-inflammatory medicine and we scheduled a follow up on Tuesday.

I asked about walking on it. He told me no sports and nothing extreme. So, I’m walking to school and to choir and to a few planned events this weekend. But I’m also being deliberate about keeping it lifted and iced when I’m home.

Fortunately for me, my English student Dima had a bad cold this week. So we met on line rather than in person. Which meant I could work with him from my sofa, with my foot up and iced.

(I say all this because I’m blessed with folks who love me and read this blog and will want to know every detail of whether or not I’m taking care of myself. So, thanks for indulging the long litany of details.)

We had a short choir concert tonight for a university event. As a reminder, I sing with the University Polytechnic Valencia choir. I wore my tennis shoes with my black suit and carried my dress shoes in my back pack to make it easier on the feet and ankle. At I was changing shoes in the lobby, I was greeted by two ladies who started the conversation with, “do you speak English?” I’m not sure how they knew. I must not look very Spanish. 🫢

One was a total flirt and quite fun. I think you can tell from the pic…

I was nervous about the concert because there were only three basses and two of the pieces had us splitting into Bass 1 and Bass 2. Fortunately , Theo showed up late and I didn’t have to sing the line solo. With some divine help, we pulled it off!

Here’s a piece the women sang.

The more time I spend with these folks, the more I feel a part of the group. Last night in practice, there was a discussion about how to pronounce the word “church,” which doesn’t come easily for native Spanish speakers. So, the director turned to me and asked. I told him how it’s pronounced. Then I said, “but I’ll sing it however you want.” That got a laugh. They decided my way was good and so that’s what we did.

Tonight, I’m meeting my friend Rafa for dinner and then Fallas fireworks.

Have a great weekend.

And as always, thank you for reading these missives. I really appreciate hearing from you and knowing you’re a part of the experience with me.