Two and a half day in bed while the rush, the excitement and the fun all takes place in the press centre and in the arena, just five minutes walk away… I’ve been there before, as sad as it is, it’s quite typical I get sick at the Eurovision Song Contest. I’ve had enough!
Returning home from two weeks in a press centre with constant tempeture changes and an air condition most of us aren’t use to, that is something many experience. It’s almost a given for me. But this year, I only had two days in the press centre, before my body gave up. Fever, headdache, a sore throat, weak muscles and a running nose. That’s how the past three days has been for me. I’m not in a condition where I’m able to stay in the press centre. I tried the first day, hoping that a long warm bath, an extra hour in bed and a visit to the pharmacy would help. It worked, I got some extra energy – for about an hour – after that, I felt just as sick as before.
Admitted, I wouldn’t normally say no to missing hard work and just stay in bed. I wouldn’t mind that at all, if 1. the bed was comfortable and 2. I didn’t really enjoy the work that had to done. But the bed here in the apartment is extremly uncomfortable. I am basically sleeping directly on the springs, and it’s really killing my back. Already I have problems with a frozen shoulder and some of the nerves in my neck – and now, my back can be added to that list. No, I don’t like spending extra time in that bed. And certainly not as I actually like this Eurovision work. In next week, it will be a lot more quiet, and I will have missed what working at a Eurovision Song Contest actually is like.
I remember my first Eurovision experience in Riga in 2003. I also got sick back then, and it seems to have followed me ever since. Thinking about it, there might have been a couple of times, where I wasn’t sick during Eurovision weeks, but they’re so few that I can barely remember them.
More than once I’ve had a cyst removed the day or two before travelling for Eurovision, which mean strong medication and eating at very specific times – and bad side affects, all of which affected my work as I more or less walked around like a zombie most of the time.
In Vienna, I had a tooth removed before Eurovision, and – of course – it fell out one of the first busy days I was in Vienna. I ended up going to one of the scariest dentists in the world but that is a whole other story. On top of that, I went down with a cold and collapsed in the arena recording a rehearsal.
In Helsinki, I ended up in a wheelchair, and in Mosow and Belgrade, I also ate medicine as food. Yep, Eurovision makes me sick! Is it a sign? I don’t want it to be, but this is really getting to me now. Cross your fingers that I can be back in the press centre – and go to the arena tomorrow. I want to be there – not sick in an uncomfortable bed just five minutes away!
Now I think I better stop feeling sorry for myself, but that’s about all, I’m able to do at the moment. Hoping to recover soon. I want to get to the arena as soon as possible. Video is my passion. Though we can only use two minutes per day, but that allows me to pick four countries, and upload 30 seconds from all of them or 40 seconds from three countries? Hey, did I just do some math? Obviously, I can do just a little bit more than feeling sorry for myself. Goodnight.
