Sick

After three and a half months of feeling invincible to the smoke, dust, food, water, and other things that have plagued the health of other volunteers, my time for illness has come. It started with some chills and weakness, followed by a stomachache, extreme gas, and some runs. Normally I’d be a bit more self-conscious about sharing that information, but everybody here seems to know, so why shouldn’t you.

It’s hard to say exactly where it came from—it could have been the flies that hang around my toothbrush, or the strange preserved radish dish I keep getting served, or that every day I see countless sick patients in the health center, or that for the last few days I’d been handling manure right before eating breakfast with my hands (don’t worry, I wash them very well with soap). My Nepali family and friends have their own theories: that I got it from doing work in the chilly mornings; that I carried too heavy a load of laundry; or that I bathed in the stream.

Nepalis have an interesting understanding of health: certain foods and drinks are considered hot and should not be consumed when one is feeling very hot; the same goes for the cold. Often these beliefs coincide with biomedicine. My family members have encouraged me to drink hot water, not to eat spicy or sour foods, to keep warm, and to get lots of rest—all advice any American would agree with. Other times there’s a serious disconnect. It’s hard to explain to those with a different mindset of disease (let alone in another language) why tea and milk are not good for an upset stomach, or why taking medicine to stop diarrhea is not a recommended treatment.

Thankfully, all Peace Corps Volunteers are equipped with a well-stocked medical kit, so I’m free to self-medicate—but only much as my concerned family lets me. As a result, I’m currently treating this bug with pepto bismol, antacid, and a pouch of medicinal herbs tied to my stomach.