Got Death?

Last year in Ghana I drank water from pouches. I bought pineapple from street vendors. I ate in local restaurants. I even picked something off a tree and stuck it right in my mouth! Never got so much as a tummy ache. I took my anti-malarial pills, but all the while was thinking how silly it was cause I never saw any mosquitoes. I thought I was so tough. Too cool for school!

I even remember sharing with Romana about what wimps some of the other bloggers were being. Constant complaining about the heat or their bad stomachs or the bugs or whatever. Man people, it's Africa! Suck it up already.

Well don't you know that those people were having a good laugh at my expense this year. I got sooo sick on this trip, I literally thought I was gonna die. I may have actually been praying for death, I can't remember. The lucidity was coming and going. I'm sure I ate something bad, but I just knew it was ghiardia or schistosomiasis or something even longer and deadlier. The restroom facilities where I was staying has a tiled room with a shower head and toilet kind of all in close proximity. Good thing because while I sat on the toilet losing my guts, I was puking up my brain and other less vital organs. All with cold water running over my body. I think the cold water is what kept me alive. At one point I remember thinking "has Ghana ever Med-Evac'd anyone out?" "Like do they even have a helicopter for such emergencies?" "Would they take me to South Africa or somewhere in Europe?" "I sure hope they know how important I am to me and that my health should really be of national concern.  I am an American,  people!"  I think it was the fever talking cause not one official government personnel ever so much as called to check on me. :)

Funny, I have a whole other post on how arrogant we are as Americans. It must be bred into us. We really should work on that.