It had to happen sometime

I’ve been remarkably healthy since getting here; In fact I hadn’t been sick in my three and a half months (pretty amazing in a place with germs I’m not used to and where everything is dirtier). Until 3AM last night, that is, when I was woken up by the rumbling of my stomach. Being sick is no fun any way you slice it, but having an outdoor pit latrine (cho) complicates things significantly. For instance, my legs are still sore from squatting, and the circulation to my feet was largely cut off. Between 3-5AM I probably made 4 trips out to the cho, but I was in such a daze that I can’t exactly remember. Add in a couple bouts of wretching and being startled by monkeys crashing through the trees in the dark, and the night was a real adventure. I am really blessed that Scott Ickes is visiting and staying with me – it was incredibly comforting to know that someone else was in the house, it just soothes the mind. But it’s hard being sick when you’re in a (relatively) new place. I realized that there were three things I really wanted last night – my mom, a toilet, and Campbell’s chicken noodle soup, none of which were to be found. It definitely has made me miss home all the more. But both Heidi and Jennifer have been taking good care of me, and I turned over a new leaf when I, against my instincts, actually listened to medical advice and stayed home to rest for the day, rather than running off to help train nutrition volunteers and playing soccer at Christ School (Mom must be proud). It was nice to get to sit around and just read and watch movies, since I seldom get a chance to do that, but I was still, of course, bombarded with people at my door. It was wonderful, however, to see some people’s very caring responses to my being sick – it made me feel appreciated and cared for in a pretty special way. So now, I’m just hoping for a night that doesn’t involve running to my cho through the dark.