high in the sky

i think i´m getting used to the altitude a bit.  i´m still tired a lot, and sometimes feel dizzy especially in higher parts of the city, but at least i don´t constantly feel short of breath.  i´ve heard that coca tea helps with altitude sickness.  that´s one of the reasons it became so popular in these parts back in the day.  i went into a shop the other day asking for some, but i think i must have messed up the spanish, because the shopkeeper gave me the strangest look.  i think he thought i was asking if i could buy cocaine there.  oops!

one odd side effect of the altitude is very strange, frightening, and vivid dreams.  for a time, i was starting awake almost every night around 4 am crying out or screaming, much to my roommates´ dismay.  though they were doing it, too.  it was a noisy dorm room for a while.  it´s a rather popular topic at the breakfast table for the group in general to discuss what we were fleeing from and who was trying to kill us in last night´s dreams.  i´m aware of my unfortunate habit of talking in my sleep, but this was pretty extreme--the only thing i could compare it to was once when i was on heavy drugs after surgery, i woke up screaming for a week.  i wish there was something i could do about it but... well, dreams are the very definition of unconsciousness, so it´s not like i can just think very hard about it and resolve to not do it anymore.  the shouting fits seem to have subsided a bit... or else we´ve all just grown accustomed to it in each other and sleep through it.  though the dreams persist.