My father made me aware of it once by saying, "You know, you really give a lot of your health to Peace Corps - that's a big sacrifice." He said it with sincerity, though I didn't reflect on it at the time. I'm sure when I get older I'll be telling stories about these times. They are the most physically and emotionally draining, therefore the most memorable.
China PCV Dustin Ooley writes: Getting sick has been a matter of course here. I didn't question it much because it was a small sacrifice for my potential to help students improve their English
To Meet with a Mishap
It happened again. I thought this was over 6 months ago when I started to discover secrets about living here; but it happened anyway.
I woke up at about 1 a.m., certain of some problem. It was so sudden that I had to get my bearings: Where am I? What's the problem here?
I looked at the walls after sitting up in bed. They were dark, the room was dark.
My mind turned inward and I felt it immediately. I quickly shuffled to the bathroom, throwing up my dinner and camping there for the next hour. When I felt a little better I returned to my living room, grabbed a blanket, and went to sleep on the couch. I slept well after that, if you don't count waking up every hour to vomit in a bowl.
By the next morning my stomach was sore and I still felt the aftereffects of acute food poisoning. I drank water and slept throughout the day. The day after that was more of the same.
Getting sick has been a matter of course here. I didn't question it much because it was a small sacrifice for my potential to help students improve their English. My father made me aware of it once by saying, "You know, you really give a lot of your health to Peace Corps - that's a big sacrifice." He said it with sincerity, though I didn't reflect on it at the time. I'm sure when I get older I'll be telling stories about these times. They are the most physically and emotionally draining, therefore the most memorable.
I can't complain. We have it pretty good here in Peace Corps P.R.C. We have hot, running water. We have electricity.
In fact, if I were to be particularly careful about eating, I would probably have only been sick two or three times - like everyone else. In America it was just easier: once, I ate 3-day, unrefrigerated sausage pizza from a box below my friend's sleeping bunk. It was there and I was hungry. No big deal.
I can't think like that now, though, even after modifying my food-eating filter to restrict more and more, things still get through: "I don't need to reheat THAT, it's fresh from the refrigerator," I say to myself.
Perhaps it's all my fault, but that doesn't make it any easier. The pain of continuous vomiting is something many can relate to, but blowing your nose afterward and seeing blood? I use a mental checklist to consider what possible illnesses I have and I come up empty. I briefly consider calling the Peace Corps Medical Office, but decide to wait it out. I know it's melodramatic, but I always wonder if I'm going to make it through these periods of sickness.
These are the times I long to go home, especially as I begin to recover and look outside at my campus: it is stark - no students - nobody. The dorms are unlit and everything looks wet, cold, and lonely.
Several days later I look in the mirror. I haven't eaten since the incident, and already I feel thinner. It's probably all in my head. I need to check at a pharmacy, where I can weigh myself for free.
This all happened on a 3 day eve, leading up to the Chinese New Year. Even now, 4:30 p.m. on New Year's Eve, the firecrackers have started. In 8 hours this place will be a war-zone.
I'm due at my student's house, where I will spend the next couple days with her family. I will keep you all posted on how they celebrate the lunar New Year.
