It's a Bird, It's a Plane... It's a Parasite?!



Sick lil' me and my doc!

 I'm still sick! :( For some strange reason, I've been dreaming of deceased family members, which has been simultaneously creepy and nice. Nice simply because it gave me a chance to say goodbye to certain people that I didn't have a chance to in real life, and creepy because... well when isn't it creepy to dream of dead people?!

Anyway, because regular food poisoning and benign illnesses don't typically last as long as this, the school director decided that I needed to see a doctor. Thankfully, there was no mention of the dreaded state hospital. Instead, he arranged for their family doctor to make a housecall. I was home by myself and heard a knock at the door. I wasn't sure if it was him or not, but I let him in anyway, silently wishing I had remembered to throw my Leatherman into my pocket. Although he didn't speak a word of English, he and I communicated fairly well with the help of charades and my iPhone dictionary until the school director and his daughter arrived to help translate. Shortly after their arrival, the messenger with results of a test I had done earlier arrived.



My very own
"it-sucks-you-have-a-parasite-don't-die-on-me"
care kit

 Drum roll please.... I am now the proud owner of bacteria and parasites! Ugh. How insane! Trust me to get parasites within a few days of arriving! Based on the timing, they think I got it in Lima. They said it's better that way, as it would have been worse if I got it in Talara first. Yay- thanks for the souvenir, Lima! They have me on three different types of meds- one for the parasites, one for the bacteria and one for the pain. My school director brought me a "it-sucks-you-have-a-parasite-don't-die-on-me" care kit consisting of water con gas (carbonated water), Gatorade, electrolyte drinks, crackers, meds and dinner ingredients for a basic, bland diet. The pic above is a horrible one, but I had to include it because it was so random! I asked the doctor if I could take a picture of him (definite blog material!) but he said I had to be in it, too! So there I am, looking like death after days of being sick in bed. HOT STUFF!

This kind of travel is so cyclical, such an emotional rollercoaster. Some days, I love it, some days I hate it and want to run for the airport in the middle of the night (yeah, try that with all the stray dogs milling about!) But considering the fact that I have a parasite, feel like death, and I'm in a foreign country by myself, I think I'm doing pretty well mentally. I decided to name my parasite Pepe. I'm going to convince him that we're bffs and then kill him muhahaha! (Ok, well maybe saying I'm doing well mentally was a bit of a stretch! LOL! I seriously think it's the medication talking!) I think I'm a pretty adaptable traveller! Next trip is a cruise though, ok? Let's make it luxurious. Or at least short term. It's kind of metaphorical- as I get rid of this parasite I think I'm also getting rid of my travel bug. At least my long term one. Alright, I'm off to slay my parasite!