#496: Shakira, ‘Donde Estan los Ladrones’

Columbia, 1998

Today was a real bummer day. I went to the ER for chest pains which just turned out to be the ol’ pleurisy/inflammation of the chest lining experience. They gave me some meds for the pain and sent me home.

But not before I listened to this album in its entirety.

I truly hate American healthcare. Listening to 90s Shakira gave me some healthy femme power energy.

What I hate is that instead of feeling concern over the source of my chest pain, I was properly panicking about how much this visit would cost me.

My doctor called me and told me to go to the ER and I told her I would rather wait until I returned back to Colorado so I could go to the provider in my network….she responded with, “Yeah, I understand that but in case you are having a heart attack, you need to go now.”

I trudged and went to the ER and the first thing I asked was about billing and insurance. How sick is that? I did not ask about my body, just my bank.

I listened to this album both before admission and post and it hit right both times. I am frustrated how my mortal ailments are attached to giant dollar signs debilitating both my body and my financial future. I am choosing to believe that Shakira understands my frustration.

Shakira hit it today. I know this album was more or less romantic, but let’s pretend she wrote these songs to the USA healthcare system. The song, “Si Te Vas” is about an incredibly toxic and abusive relationship (from what I gather from google translate). This is the song of today. It made me feel heard and it made me feel understood in the very real and emotional and financially toxic web I am so often negotiating as an American who cannot keep doing this.

Top Songs: Si Te Vas, No Creo, Ojos Asi