pics from my trip 

I’m back from Panama, and I’m sitting here typing this entry with gauze pads taped to the crooks of both of my arms. More on that later.

Panama was amazing! (Hi Nancy, Lynn, Andrea, Nicola, Ropper, and Adam!) Beautiful rainforests and beaches, strange animals, and tons of mosquitoes and other biting insects. I think I have about 200 bites just on my lower legs. I won’t be wearing a skirt or shorts anytime soon! Anyway, good thing that I was taking my anti-malarials. I can’t take any chances and get some crazy disease before I leave for Peace Corps.

This morning I woke up feeling hung over, but I hadn’t had anything to drink. I took the morning off from work because I had an ortho appointment, so I could sleep in a bit. When I did get up I wasn’t feeling any better. I took my temperature, which was just under 100 degrees (for those of you on metric, 98.6 degrees is normal). But that wasn’t going to stop me from my ortho appointment. I was getting my bottom braces off! (Oh yeah, some of you probably didn’t know this, but I have braces.)

1 1/2 hours later I was done. Bottom braces out, permanent retainer in, molds for retainers done. I think the tops are coming off in 3-4 weeks. My brother thinks that my bottom teeth look too straight and perfect that they look fake. But I think they look great!

I didn’t feel any better after my appointment. Actually, I felt worse. I took my temperature again. 103 degrees!

I don’t know much about malaria. I was told that the incubation period is about nine days and that the first symptom to appear is fever.

It’s been nine days since I entered a malarial area, and I had a raging fever. I was covered in bug bites. I never get sick. I thought, of course I would get malaria even though I was taking anti-malarials, and I’d probably get my invitation to Peace Corps rescinded.

So off to the emergency room I went. A urine test, a ride on a gurney in a backless hospital gown, two chest x-rays, 7 vials and bottles of blood drawn, and a bag of IV fluid later, I was told the news: I didn’t have malaria! Yay! The doc said that it’s probably flu, and I just have to let it pass.

What’s the moral of the story? Don’t be a hypochondriac. And health insurance is great.

I called Peace Corps today to officially accept my invitation to be a volunteer in Bulgaria.  And so the countdown begins. 

I'm also leaving to go on vacation tomorrow.  I start in Panama City, Panama and end in San Jose, Costa Rica.  Two weeks to go diving, do some hiking, and who knows what else.  I'm so excited!

Wow, how exciting.  My first entry in my brand new blog!  I really have no idea what the hell I'm doing here, so please bear with me.

So I'm joining the Peace Corps.  Yes, the Peace Corps.

This morning I received my invitation to be a Business Development volunteer in the Community and Organizational Development program in Bulgaria.  What does that mean?  Hmm, I'm not quite sure.  I've read over the materials that they sent me, but I'm still confused as to exactly what I'll be doing.  I guess I'll find out soon enough!

I leave for orientation in Washington, DC on August 4, and then I'm off to Bulgaria on August 7, where I will be for 27 months.  Yes, it's a long time.

I plan to use this blog to keep in touch with family and friends, but we all know how I can be about these things.  I might also password-protect some or all of my posts going forward, since I'm just paranoid like that.  So email me for the password.  If you don't know my email, then you don't know me, and I don't want you reading my posts.  Sorry!

Feel free to post comments!