I made it to work about 7:45 this morning and had to run down to the health unit for my check in. Everything is in order (basically) so that is a good thing. I then had to run back to my office where I found out I was 5 minutes late for my meeting with the ambassador (what a meeting to be late to!) but I think it was all good since when I got there he told me he was also a University of Oregon grad and he grew up in Oregon...what a small world! He said we would meet up to talk again soon. I also started getting my first assignments which are extremely tedious, attention to detail, reviewing of budget type work. Either way, it made me happy to know I am going to get stuff to do here! That is about where the good stuff ends though...
At the meeting this morning with the nurse, I learned a lot of bad things that can happen while I am here and I am determined not to let any of them happen. First, I was told that it is almost guaranteed I am going to get sick and more than likely get diarrhea...great! Unfortunately, that is the least of my worries. I learned I will not be swimming in any lakes, lagoons or other forms of still water. People who do are at risk of contracting schistosomiasis. This is when a snail, who lives in the water, lays eggs that you either ingest through your nose or mouth and they attach to your intestinal tract. They then hatch and feast on what is in your intestines. Apparently, there is still worse than that. They have what is called a tumbu fly. This fly likes to find wet clothes and lay its larva on them. Then, when the clothes are put on, the eggs are activated by a person's warm skin and the maggots burrow into your skin. For about two weeks they feast on the muscle in your body before a huge boil forms. At this point the fly is ready to hatch and the boil bursts. Yea, this is some sci-fi BS going on around here. But the day got even worse...
The nurse warned us that we will see dead bodies around town because people drive so crazy. All she said is ignore them and definitely don't touch them. Well it is a good thing I don't plan on walking the streets, but regardless, I still saw a dead boy on the way home from work. He was probably no older that 13-14 and was laying on the side of the road. People walked by him or stepped over him like he was a dead animal. It was petrifying. I knew it had to happen frequently. There are very few stop lights anywhere in this city and no crosswalks. People line up along the barrier between the two sides of the highway and when there is a gap, they just run across. This morning I saw a man running with a child no older than two years old in his arms running across. I can see why life expectancy is so low in this part of the world. HIV/AIDS doesn't even explain the majority of the deaths! I guess this is just the sad reality of living in the third world. I am already happy I am going to be here "short term." There is no way I could do a two year term in a place like this.
Well I think that is enough crazy news for the day! Hope everyone else had a great one! I am currently trying to cool water down that I boiled. Yea, I have to boil water to drink it. For the next six months. Now I don't feel sorry for those people that have to do it for a week or two. Ugh...when does the "vacation" part of being in the tropics kick in?!?!
Here are a few more pics I took from the safety of the car...
That just rips my heart out. Makes you appreciate where you live and hope that whatever you can do will lighten the burden there, even if just a little. I hope this doesn't affect you to the point of depression. Be careful and take care of yourself.
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