After a particularly fun night in London when my sister arrived via train to the theatre, we took her and her suit case on 4 wheels on a good ole fashion pub crawl, picking up along the way a Norwegian football team (soccer to us Americans), a Danish drinking club, and some British college students.  After a few drinks and some ridiculous extra-curricular dancing, we said good night to our new yet temporary friends and wheeled “home” before we turned into pumpkins or broke curfew.  Down the steps, Up the steps, Around the cathedral the suitcase rolled.  Finally our hotel.  Then pizza.  Then sleeping.  Then up early the next day to teach a workshop and ride the train to Paris.  Paris is GORGEOUS and I was so happy to be back, but I had to pay for my crime of 2 glasses of red wine after hours and started to feel a bit ill.  Then a bit more ill.  I slept all day then rose just for the show, then slept another 15 hours, then rose for the second show and so on and so on…

I was guilty, as any American should feel, for having had some wine and was sure that this is what had caused my illness, until I heard that there was a girl in our workshops who had… bronchittus!  Suddenly it was all her fault.  My mind reeled.  I slept another 15 hours in Casablanca.  I was SO excited to go to Morocco for the first time.  And it did not disappoint.  Although bed ridden, I stubbornly took a taxi to the mosque I could see from my balcony window and then went on to the souk where I jabbered incessantly in French, probably speaking more fluently because of my illness.  I had no inhibitions.  2 necklaces, a broach, a dress, a pair of shoes, a bag, and a dagger later, I found my rest with the rest of the gang at a local tea shop.  On to the venue.  Sweating with fever, I rehearsed and dressed for the show.  During half time I slept and then finished the show kinda feeling ok again.  But the next day IT came back with a vengeance and the group had to leave me in Marrakech  truly bed ridden this time.  I slept for 3 days and then flew to Shanghai for early promo work advertising our upcoming tour there.  Sucking on a cough drop and hoping I wouldn’t fall over, I danced and talked and smiled as if nothing at all was the matter.  Then I slept until the next gig.  This went on for 2 days until it was finally time to fly home.  Once home I slept and slept and slept.  After watching the news I was convinced I had contracted the dreaded yet very high profile SWINE flu!!  And, now, a week later, I’m STILL SICK!  But don’t be afraid, if I can perform and tour and travel with swine flu, the rest of you may just have a chance of surviving this year’s flu season…

Yours,  In Health,

Moria Chappell