you don’t need no baggage, just get on board

last weekend I developed a decent sore throat, and a pretty disgusting cough but I hate taking antibiotics so I avoided seeing a doctor for a few days. I knew I had some sort of infection, but it wasn’t until I couldn’t really breathe at night and had chest pain that it was probably time to get some treatment. so tuesday afternoon, I went to the clinic under the school and had a decent medical checkup. for 800ksh, about au$11, I found out I was hypotensive, didn’t have asthma, had an upper respiratory tract infection, had tonsillitis and was sent home with 5 days worth of amoxicillin, ibuprofen and cough syrup. despite this, I still have a very husky voice (no it’s not sexy) and I’m still snotty and have a cough, but thank god it’s much much better. 

  

my last few days at school were thankfully not sad ones, but very happy and cheerful ones. lots of laughter and smiles from me and the kids, as well as anna, morton, shelby, masika and braelyn who all came along for my last day. I had made each kid a little lolly bag to take home and enjoy over the easter weekend, and anna’s grandfather gave money so she could purchase an easter egg for each kid too. inevitably, the kids will be sugared out this weekend! however, it is very bloody hard to control 75 noisy and excited kids without a voice! despite this, we still sang songs, danced, and had a great day. 

   

beautiful evelyn. noone works as hard, as selflessly or as tirelessly as she does. a wonder woman, who I very much admire and respect

   

evelyn, agnetta (cook), me, ruth (teaching assistant), gladys (cleaner) and anna

 

I left school at about 3:30pm and had organised a taxi to pick me up at 5pm for my 10:50pm flight. I know that might seem crazy to some of you, but considering taxis are notoriously late and traffic is notoriously bad, I didn’t want to risk it. and I’m very bloody glad I did. taxi didn’t come until 5:30, then it started raining, which freaks kenyans out, and the traffic was horrible. it took almost 3 hours to drive from kawangware to the airport – a 24km journey. at one point, we sat still for almost 30minutes. to say I was freaking out would be an understatement. I’m not usually an anxious person, but when it comes to flying and being at airports, I’m practically obsessive compulsive. the earlier I’m there, the better. 

before I left, I was verrrry happy to have a final tusker beer, chips and kachumbari at my favourite place – volcano, with the beautiful humans who spent my last day at school with me. yes I was sad to leave, yet so happy because I know I’ll be back… again and again.

kwaheri for now, kenya. see you next year. x

  

 

and bad mistakes, I’ve made a few

people usually learn from their mistakes. whenever I get sick, it takes me a good couple of weeks to actually go to a doctor because I hate antibiotics and I like to think I’m either supernatural or made of a supreme higher power and that eating oranges or drinking lemon & honey will cure me. even after everything I’ve learnt at uni. you’d think I’d learn by now.

we were joking around the other day after the medical camp in nakuru, and having treated patients with potential tuberculosis, I was certain I now had TB. loss of appetite, persistent cough, TB exposure, fever, weight loss, night sweats… yep I had all those. but that’s the worst part of knowing too much medically. but I don’t have TB. surely not. power of positive thinking. .

but anyway, today I finally caved, spent an entire 250 kenyan shillings (AU$3.10) to see the clinician at the clinic I work at, for him to tell me I have tonsilitis as well as an upper respiratory tract infection. no wonder I feel like shit, don’t want to eat & can’t eat because of the huge golf balls that were once my glands.

so after being given a course of amoxicillin, a course of cefatrizine & a whole bunch of ibuprofen (all included in my $3.10 fee already paid)… here’s hoping I’m back to 100% within the week – big medical camp to look forward to in naivasha this weekend!

I guess I probably should get a mantoux (TB) test before I come home. I definitely have been exposed to it here, not even joking.

I’ve been here before a few times

racking up a pretty decent list of types of worldwide stomach issues I’ve had so far in my 22 years:

fiji belly ’04
can’t remember the exact details but remember being sick at one point

singapore belly ’07
probably from eating street food

bali belly ’10
the worst ever, legitimately thought I was going to die

tasmania belly ’11/’12
probably too much alcohol at falls festival

turkey belly ’13
probably opened my mouth in the shower accidentally

kenya belly ’13
just to add another one to the list – couldn’t even go to placement today because I didn’t think I could last without being close to a toilet

stomach, you have travelled to a lot of countries, including more than what’s mentioned above…. get your shit together.