Diamonds & Rust

Mars 03.03.11

Well, the day came and went && myself and the Chev bike to Ouaga on the 27th of Fevrier!! We left approximately at 6:00 (we were shooting for 5, get up at 4:30, but took longer to get going)... took a couple of breaks (much needed - and directed, thank you, by Chev), drank (btwn the two of us) 4.5 L of water and ORS and bike for 5 hours. That equals us conquering 75 km on our bikes. It was great and surprisingly, my body wasn't as upset with me as I was assuming. :] Next time (yes, there will be a next time) I want to go faster and see how fast my legs can take me. We averaged 15km per hour and I would like to average 17km - 19km per hour. Tough. But do-able. I will say because we biked we were probably the laziest human beings on the planet this past 2-3 days. All we wanted to do was sit around and drink water and sit some more. Maybe kill a few brain cells while searching on Facebook... but mostly sit.

I ended up getting sick this trip to Ouaga. No fun. I believe it's our 2nd day in the city and we're still being ultra lazy but decide to go out to Fespaco and enjoy a movie! We order in from Hamburger House and I get courageous and order a sunny burger (cheeseburger with an egg) YUM... almost like Red Robin, but not even close. And I got a chocolate milkshake too. Double Yum. and as I'm eating and skyping with my one true love Ashley - I think to myself (what a wonderful life/world... check lyrics?) this doesn't taste so good. This may be a mistake on the part of my taste-buds, or my body is trying to warn me... well, I didn't listen. We all finish dinner and head out to the road to find a cab to take downtown - but this time my belly is yelling at me. Oh no. We get to Fespaco and buy a ticket for "The Last Flight of the Flamingo" and to our surprise it has ENGLISH subtitles! Yippee! Unfortunately, the severed penises, soft core porn and Portuguese didn't hold my attention and I fell asleep on numerous occasions. Oops. We leave centreville and successfully pack in 8 volunteers in one four door cab... 2 in front, 6 in back (four down on the seat and two on top of the pile). Yeah, we're pros, please, don't try this at home.

The whole time I feel like I'm gonna puke... well, long story short: I had 8 bands march out of my mouth at around midnight and on to 4:30am. I got so dehydrated (I thought I was gonna faint or pass out) I had to cling to the toilet to keep myself up. I ended up calling for one of the other volunteers in the house to come and help me, or bring me a glass of water and a thermometer because I felt like I was on fire. The PCMO came and got me and gave me the most painful shot in my left arm to stop vomiting. Ow. It still is sore. And I didn't get to bed until after 6:00am... I woke up at 8:00. :[

The rest of my time in Ouaga was uneventful. Talked with Ash some more, my mom and Adam. All is well back home from what I can tell. I know Ashley is bound for great things! Stupid Teach for America doesn't know what they passed up.

I came back to Sap on the 17:00 KGB bus on the 2nd (yesterday) and stayed the night there because of the following reasons:

• It was way too dark to bike and I don't have good night vision as it is
• Today was marché day in Sap
• Check mail
• Delicious flame roasted chicken!
• I have a complet in the works
• My ear needs piercing ASAP

Let's elaborate on that last bullet point, shall we? There are three ethnic groups in Sourou: Mossi, Grounssi and Peuhl. Well, the Peuhl women have lots of piercings and even more jewelry. One of their piercings is the upper cartilage of the ear - they string beaded earrings in that piercing. It's gorgeous! I've wanted that since seeing it the first time. But one dilemma: no piercing. Other dilemma: no one to pierce it. Last dilemma: it's dirty in this country and I'm scared of infection.

Well - I finally asked someone about dilemma #1, and yes, there is a woman who can thread the earring into my ear, but no piercer. Ah, but what about the CSPS staff? Uh HUH! I go and ask the midwife and she tells me she is too scared but there is someone in Sap who can do it. √ Next question: will it be sanitary? Why yes - I can take care of that if anything and I'll be sure to wash it. No prob.

Okay - So I go to Sap one day (last wk) and talk with a nurse... she's too scared. Ugh. She does say there's a Madame Ouedrougou who can do it and says I should come back in March. Okay - so today rolls around and I check out the maternity: ask for the Madame and am sent out on a mission to find my own needle and plastic thread (to act as my first earring). Check. Go back and she sanitized everything (yes, I watched) and the nurse who was too afraid to do it herself comes in to watch. I'm a little nervous now. Damn. I tell the nurse and she laughs and I tell her to come and hold my hand. She does and tells me du courage! du courage! So nice and then the needle goes through. OW! And worst part... where the nurse tied the plastic thread onto the needle it gets stuck and she has to YANK it through. OOOOWWWW. And then it's over. I feel a wee bit nauseous but am overall good. She prescribes me an antibiotic and an anti-inflamitory. Yay. That costs 2,300CFA: that's about 5 bucks for 10 days of anti-inflamitory and 5 days antibiotic. Nice.

It still throbs with pain, but that's expected. I'll be washing it 3 x's a day and maybe after 10 - 15 days I can remove the plastic and put in a metal earring and let that heal and then I'll have a woman thread the Peuhl earring through my ear. Yay. I'm excited.

Welp - time for bed. My body is still exhausted from biking and vomiting so much. Sleep.

Sleep is good, eh?

My Health has Climbed into a Well

26 October 2010

So I’ve been consistently sick for the past two days: have had a steady fever (99.8 – 102.6) and my stomach aches… not cramping… not spastically coming and going… but an ongoing soreness. I don’t know what that means, but I’m definitely going to call a PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) and make an appointment. So with me feeling more than under-the-weather, I have been at my house, never leaving except to use the latrine, for the past 48 hours. Solitary confinement with a twist: an unlimited number of visitors who barge into your own little space and then attempt to make conversation in a foreign language. I know: they’re only seeing if I feel better – they don’t want anything bad to happen to their very first nassara. But geez, it gets pretty tiring to always put on a smile when you feel like shit – or stand up and meet someone at the door because you don’t want them to come in when your stomach feels like it’s going to rip in two. T I R I N G, I tell you. But the major (the head nurse at the CSPS) and Agathe have been all too kind. They have been checking up on me every so often. Congo (the major) came by with a blood pressure machine and a thermometer – and Agathe came armed with bouille (porridge-like substance made from millet here) and at night: rice with minimal flavor to ward off cramping. So nice.

On top of all his: I have a ridiculous pimple on my jaw line and a sty on my left lower eyelid. :[ But with this “free” time I’ve jumped into more than half of “Kafka on the Shore,” cleaned/cut my nails and toe-nails, shaved my legs and thoroughly washed my hair. Joy. Oh – and cleaned my house, made a shopping list for Ouaga and thought all too much about my place back home: friends, family, Splashtown, apartments, schooling, love affairs, lost friendships, the price difference of different states, the job market, vacation time… yes. All. Too. Much.

Maybe I’ve ingested too much bleach? (we put a tiny bit of bleach in our water to kill bacteria and parasites after we filter it) My gut is taught and hard and makes me think of all the problems my mom has with her digestive system. Maybe I have appendicitis? Possibly something wrong with my pancreas? What about a big, huge worm taking vacation in my small/large intestines? How about an ulcer? Man, who knows… I just hope a PCMO figures it out and I hope it’s nothing serious… maybe just a build up of gas?! Ha. That’d be hilarious. Diagnosis: Flatulants are caught in your large intestine and can’t escape from your colon. Nice. But I secretely, not so secret anymore, hope that if it is serious: I hope it’s enough to get me a nice vacation outside the country. Terrible, huh? Not so much. I’m still waiting for my wisdom to come in so I can take a trip to Senegal or South Africa. Hey now – no judgemental eyes: all PCVs do this

… I think.

Flights 1 & 2

23 Juin 2010

I have never been overseas. ever. I have wanted to since I was a freshman in college: and more than likely, before then. Yet, that goal of mine has never been fulfilled.

So I'll run everyone through the flight itenerary:

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

1:30pm: Bus ride from Philly to JFK

5:35pm: Arrive at JFK - terrible traffic in NY

9:45pm: Depart for Paris, Charles de Gaulle

7 hours & 20 minutes later, not including the delay

That's 5:30am CST && 11:05am Paris time

This was the worst flight of my life. Not that it was overnight, or that the accommodations were not up to my standards - because they went beyond my standards. It was because I felt sick the entire flight. My stomach was hurting and I had gas pockets exploding and attacking my organs (if you don't know by now, I exaggerate always). So because of the sick feeling - I was unable to sleep except for maybe 20 minutes. Needless to say, I was on edge when the half way point came around. But I made it through, but not without a bout of nauseousness, and watched two movies: Brothers & Where the Wild Things Are.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

11:05am: Arrive in Paris

Layover in Paris, Charles de Gaulle: ie. Pass OUT at the terminal

4:10pm: Depart for Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

5 hours & 30 minutes later

That's 2:40pm CST && 7:40pm Burkina Faso time

This flight was 78.43% better than the flight from NY to Paris because of the following reasons: I slept on the floor of the terminal. I was rehydrated. I was in a GREAT mood because I took out my camera and was taking pictures of the group & the terminal. And I was really flying to Africa!! I got on and instead of being in a seat next to another PCT I was next to a stranger; no worries, I asked how he was - he said good - and I immediately knew he was French. So I sit down and we chat for a while. It was funny because his English wasn't the best, but my French was entirely way too dusty for my to use it...we struggled making conversation, but were having fun with it anyway: using dictionaries, phrase books and having the other speak for them. He has been going to Burkina since 2005 (I think) and is dating a Burkinabe. I believe he is either working or studying...but he is documenting the economic situation in villages (I think). Anyway - I ended up passing out after dinner, which was pretty dang good! We exchanged email & he told me I should visit Koudougou, the village or town he lives in. We'll see.

7:45pm: Arrive in Ouagadougou!

Once we arrived in Ouaga (standard shortening of the word), we hoped on a bus to the terminal. As soon as we stepped off the plane we were hit by a wall of heavy humidity and heat. It's a lot like Houston during the summer - but a little worse. And the smell is pretty musky. It's pretty unbelievable that we're all here. We were then greeted by Burkina Faso's Country Director, Shannon!! She's really friendly & enthusiastic, I love it. We also met Jeff who is the go-to guy for out money $$$! Ha. $240 a month!! (unless it changed). Next came baggage & then the most magical bus ride to the Dragon Hotel. The bus had air-conditioning, but was the equivalent of a clown's car with the amount of people we had crowding into the bus. There was food waiting for us when we arrived at the hotel - well, we had cookies, apples, bananas and chips called Spuds...maybe Spunks: Knock-off of Pringles. And we had HUGE bottles of water. Learned about the different Peace Corps employees here & were said to get a good night's sleep due to the jet-lag and the amount of work tomorrow.

Me and Ashley were paired up again at this hotel, which was nice! We have a/c, internet, running water AND a television! Oh - and we had a visiter. His name was Fred and he was our gecko. Alas, we couldn't find Fred this morning. :[

I am a prisoner of Stress

Stress has taken a hold of me, and my body has finally submitted to its power.

I can't describe how I feel these days. It's a mix of anxiety, excitement and an overwhelming feeling of what ifs. I am trying to keep myself calm, but in the midst of preparing to depart, exchanging addresses, saying "until next time" to friends, flying/driving to see family, and then everything needed to finalize here in Austin - it's all becoming a blur.

And with this blur comes sickness. I am weak. I am not hungry. I am fatigued - both mentally and physically. I am congested. I cannot breath. I have body-aches. I have headaches. I am not well.

But I know this will be better. I also know that I'll have many bouts of this while I'm in Africa. This is just the beginning. This is why I'm trying to stay off meds that we take advantage of here in the States. I am trying to naturally get rid of my headaches and body-aches. I am also just taking it easy this weekend. I know that rest is essential, and the past week has not been very accommodating to that aspect of my life which is greatly needed.

I am already missing my friends and family.