When you live abroad, you are bound to give away a bit of your health. Unless of course, you decide to go to another first world country, which is much less fun. The third world is unfortunately full of diseases, illness', virus' and countless other things that can and will make you ill. It is also full of tastier food, richer cultural experiences and a perspective of the world that is unique to the third world.
In Jordan, I got a parasite. In Egypt, I got food poisoning, in Israel strep throat and in Lebanon, I couldn't eat anything but rice for days until Nadim's mother forced me to eat aloe-vera, at which point I started to improve. (it is really disgusting by the way; the actual aloe from the plant- NOT from the bottle) In Turkey, I had the flu. Basic really. Last night, heaven knows what I had, but after dinner I felt extremely nauseous. Of course, the illness progressed and let's just say I clang to the toilet bowl all night, on the freezing cold tile floor of my (at that moment) unheated apartment. Vomiting is by far the worst thing to have abroad. No one wants to be sick in unsanitary conditions without anyone there to take care of them. I had to go to the market today to attempt to eat something, my body's blood sugar was alarmingly low after a night of clinging to the toilet. It took all my strength to put on clothes and walk the five minutes there, buy my tea, baby food apple sauce, and rice. I almost passed out walking back up the four flights of stairs and was so exhausted, I plopped all my groceries in the foyer and did not move from my bed for the next three hours. I missed work and am threw up all day. Gross. Sorry for the t.m.i.
These are the stories that are conveniently left out of the stories you tell back home.
In Jordan, I got a parasite. In Egypt, I got food poisoning, in Israel strep throat and in Lebanon, I couldn't eat anything but rice for days until Nadim's mother forced me to eat aloe-vera, at which point I started to improve. (it is really disgusting by the way; the actual aloe from the plant- NOT from the bottle) In Turkey, I had the flu. Basic really. Last night, heaven knows what I had, but after dinner I felt extremely nauseous. Of course, the illness progressed and let's just say I clang to the toilet bowl all night, on the freezing cold tile floor of my (at that moment) unheated apartment. Vomiting is by far the worst thing to have abroad. No one wants to be sick in unsanitary conditions without anyone there to take care of them. I had to go to the market today to attempt to eat something, my body's blood sugar was alarmingly low after a night of clinging to the toilet. It took all my strength to put on clothes and walk the five minutes there, buy my tea, baby food apple sauce, and rice. I almost passed out walking back up the four flights of stairs and was so exhausted, I plopped all my groceries in the foyer and did not move from my bed for the next three hours. I missed work and am threw up all day. Gross. Sorry for the t.m.i.
These are the stories that are conveniently left out of the stories you tell back home.
Hope you are feeling better. An this is so true. Having strep in Romania is definitely not like having strep here. I am so grateful I had wonderful roomies.
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