ABRUPT GOODBYE

The last 2 blogs I posted were written about 2 weeks ago. I didn't want to post them at the time for some reason. Maybe posting them 2 weeks later defeats the purpose of blogging. Aren't blogs supposed to be in the moment? I don't know and I don't really care. In the aftermath of things I want to remember what daily life in my village was like.

Tearfully I'm writing from Bangkok. A week and a half ago I became sick with Dengue Fever. It is the reason I had to leave my village 1 month before I had planned. Dengue Fever is a disease caused by a mosquito. Most of the time it is not fatal. But it is hell on earth.

This is how Dengue Fever effected me. Two separate trips to the hospital in Surin in 3 days. Fever for 6 consecutive days. It has been nicknamed "break-bone fever". This name is self explanatory. It gives you body aches so bad - it feels like your bones are breaking. Abdominal pain, Diarrhea, and Dehydration. Loss of appetite. The loss of appetite also comes from the fact that I had nausea almost 100% of the time for 7 days. It is a viral infection so it cannot be treated. I was given 6 different medications to help the symptoms. My medication needed to be taken with food 3 times a day so I would choke down a few bites of white rice. Splitting headaches. It also causes pain behind the eyes. Lastly, a rash all over my legs, arms and chest.

It typically lasts for 6-7 days. I became sick 1 week ago Thursday. The fever and body aches have left. The nausea still comes and goes. But the headaches, pain behind the eyes, and the rash have lingered. Everyone including myself felt that it would be best if I came back to the city. The best thing for my health right now is good sleep. I think my living conditions may have been slowing down the recovery. I tread lightly on that topic because my hosts and friends in the village have been nothing but wonderful. The amount of care, support and love they have shown me is indescribable. It's just that my body isn't used to sleeping on a wooden floor. And my body is accustomed to western toilets, running water and indoor plumbing.

I feel proud and lucky to say that I've travelled to the places I've been, seen the things that I've seen, and have been able to do the the things that I've done. But it's the people I remember most. It is the people that I come in contact with that I'm most affected by. They are the reason I continue to travel. I am so grateful I was able to spend the time I had with my friends in Prang Ku. They are such wonderful people. They are people who don't have much themselves but would give me anything. Living in rural Thailand was never easy. I was challenged in so many ways on a daily basis. But it was always worth it to me because of the people I was surrounded by. I miss them already.

Unfortunately, Dengue Fever has caused my stay abroad to be shorter than I had wanted and planned. I have a one-way ticket home to Utah Tuesday. Travelling the way I do requires my mind and body to be at full strength. They are not right now. I'm on my own and it wouldn't be wise to continue on the way that I have carrying a 35 lb backpack.

This is my second time to this part of the world. It's too bad I wasn't able to visit the rest of Southeast Asia. The cliche 'so close yet so far away' seems only fitting. I do believe things work out the way they are meant to. I was able to accomplish my ultimate goal: to live in another country amongst another culture while doing volunteer work. I did that. It's okay to be sad and disappointed. But I don't feel sorry for myself. I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Perhaps the greatest lesson I was to learn on this adventure was that Dorothy was in fact right. There is no place like home.