Milestone: First Illness!

In the last 24 hours, I’ve dealt with vomiting, diarrhea, second-degree burns, vermin, and public embarrassment. I figure, if I can survive that, I just might be strong enough to survive the next two years.

That isn’t to say that I’ve dealt with everything alone. My host family has been absolutely wonderful, giving me advice on what foods to avoid and making special trips to the store for me. Junior, the second youngest, went to buy me cell phone credit when I was crying and retching and just wanted to talk to my mommy. Isabelle, my host mom, took me to the bakery yesterday morning to make sure I had enough bland, safe things to eat. (Yogurt. Lots of it.) a few family members have even taken to calling me “daughter” and “little sister.”

And I must say, the Peace Corps staff here in Cameroon has exceeded my expectations. Nurse Glory came to the house last night to make sure I was all right. When I thanked her for coming so late in the evening, she replied, “It’s nothing. I’m helping you so that you can help my country.” I still felt terrible physically, but it was reassuring emotionally. I’m proud to say that during the last 24 hours, I only considered going home for about 10 minutes before I remembered all of the hurdles I had to jump to get here, and how proud everyone is of me back home. Finding a mouse in my bedroom, burning myself on a motorcycle exhaust pipe, or falling on my ass in a puddle of mud in front of my host family can’t change that.