Near death experience

Hi guys, I almost died yesterday...BWAHAHAHAHA! Nah, just kidding, thats a blatant Sharpferbole, (A very blatant exaggeration that we Scharpfs are prone to making.) but I did really feel like shit yesterday. More on that later, when it falls into its correct chronological place.

So let me start with Wednesday, with a minor preface from Tuesday night. On tuesday I forgot to eat. I've pretty much been running on an "eat when you feel hungry" schedule, which worked because I was ravenous every time I got home. So Tuesday went like this. Morning:"CRAP I'M LATE!" (No time for food.) And we never have food at the sites, I'td be rude to eat in front of the moms. And when I got home my usual craving never hit in, so I just forgot.

So here we get to Wednesday. In the morning I again forgot to eat. No time. No biggie though right? I wasn't hungry or anything. And the day was pretty typical. Couple small bouts of light headedness though. A couple kids to stool, one new set. Nothing strenuous. I think my main job in the future will be double checking all the data entry on the cards before we send them off, because there are some minor and major discrepancies on some.

And then the long ride to Namandanje. Joy. It was fun when we arrived though. There was a soccer game going on for middle schoolers. I watched it for about an hour, making faces at the random people who kept feeling an urge to stare at the azungu. It was fun though, as I got to practice some weird faces I havent had cause to make in a while, such as making my eyes roll into the back of my head. (That one got the best reactions.)

Afterwards I got a crowd of little kids, so I showed of my psp's music a little, as I feel the urge to spread rock to this barren wasteland that lacks any, and I spun them around for like half an hour. To explain what I mean by spin around, Grab both hands. Pull in a circular motion around yourself untill their feet leave the ground. Keep spinning them in circles until you are gonna fall over. TRY to get them to the ground without hurting yourself. Try to not hurt yourself while the world can't decide where it wants to be. Repeat. Haha, it was fun though.

At the mission the food was good as usual, and the usual animals were there to. Just to name the animals this father has, there's three cats, a hedgehog and there used to be a monkey. In fact, I used to have aspirations to pick up said hedgehog, bug I'm re-evaluating. I saw the little dude catch a cockroach and eat it. I probably have more to fear than just his spines.

Now the next morning is where things get fun. I woke up with a splitting headache and stomach cramps at four in the morning. I couldn't sleep and didn't get out of bed until 6. After that it seemed to have subsided, but when I got to the site dizzy spells started to hammer me, until I couldn't even stand anymore. So I got a chair and worke sitting down for an hour and a half. After that it got so bad that the only relief I could get was from laying down on a wooden table. I ended up laying there for two hours.

A quick background on what this feels like, ever had a headache where every jolt, every quick movement was painful, and there is no relief unless you can become stationary, like laying down? Well this is exacly like that, except switch pain with exreme dizzyness.

Actually, I though I might be dehydrated, but I had drank a crapton of water at Namandanje, and wasn't sure. It was kind of pointless though, because the water we brought from the mission wasn't purified, and was unsafe. Despite that though, I snuck out to drink some of it partway through the day. Oh and in the mess I was feeling all day I forgot my cell in Namandanje, so no phone calls this week.

When I got back in the car, I wasn't sure how I was gonna make it. I mean, the only relief was to be had from laying horizontal, (not possible in a car) without any jostling. (not possible on Malawi roads) Eventually we stopped at a supermarket and I bought, and drank 1.5 liters of water. I felt a lot better after that, so I guessed I was probably dehydrated. However...

Once I got to he house I immediately went to sleep. And I slept fo about two more hours. When I woke up, BANG! Another dizzy spell. While struggling Leslie told me that dehydration is a misnomer, and means that your body is missing water, or salt, or some other vital nutrients. AKA, the water I had earlier was just a temporary solution. I had a bowl of ramen then, in hopes that it would help me. And it did. Kinda.

But it didn't go away completely. So here are my symptopms at this point. Dizzyness. Lots of Dizzyness. Joint pain. Stomach cramps. A very accelerated pulse. Headaches (When I woke up.) Very Lethargic. Pale. Flushed (In the cheeks.) Running a fever. (1 degree over) Many of these are symptoms of a long day at work coupled with a long day of work and dehydration, but considering that I had been bitten by about 40 mosquitos two weeks ago, (Kept pulling my bugnet down) we figured I should go get tested for malaria.

Quick disclaimer about Malaria. Yes it is deadly. Yes it can cause massive damage to oneself, for example, there is one subsect called cerebral Malaria that can cause brain damage. However, the most deadly aspect of Malaria (in my mind) is the way it operates. It causes your red blood cells, infected with the parisites ruptures generating more parisites, IN WAVES. Meaning you're fine for two weeks after the infection then Bam! You have a fever. Then it goes away. Then Bam! You have another. Its worse. Et cetera. This can continue for a while before anyone, especialy in the more rural areas, realizes that they have malaria, and by then it is often too late. If caught early, and supposing that you don't need to use it often, the medication will usually cover you. (Using it too often can cause alergic reactions)

So I got tested, and I'm negative. YAY! However just to be safe they prescribed LA (the medication) anyway. Woohoo. So anyways, I don't have Malaria, I just need to eat more often. =)

Anyway, I stayed home today though. Just to be sure I didn't overdo it again. So after sleeping way later than I should have, I got entering data. Lots of data. More data than I ever want to see again. BLEH. I need to enter more tomorrow though, I didn't get enough done because I slept in too late, and I REFUSE to be useless.

Also, today I was gonna make my chicken-brocolli-melt-your-face-off dish (ask me parents for details) but after the hour walk to the market they didnt have any. Meeeeeh... And I couldn't quite get the concept across to the new housekeeper here that we don't need food cooked, ("-I'm cooking tonight, we dont need you to. -What? -I'll cook don't cook. -What - Don't. Cook. Dinner. Tonight." I don't think she speaks english) because we got a meal. Which is kinda good, but I was supposed to make this LAST Friday, and I kinda really want to have it now. Meh.

Rest of the day was fine. Watched presidential debate. McCain in probably gonna lose. Despite your political alignment you have to be able to see that. Made complicated algorithm for excel. I HATE YOU PARENTHESI! HATE YOU ONE LINE TO PUT IT ALL ON! HATE! And uhm. I ate and drank and took my pills. Feeling better. Not much more to say. Tired. Bed. Night.

TTYL
---He who is glad the world has decided which way is up.